Love, Death and Destruction
by WesterosBaby
Summary: Being whipped away from the world we knew, me and my twin sister end up 70 years in the past. Lucky for us, Easy Company accept us as their own, and one in particular catches my eye. But will he manage to break the walls I'd had up since past events of my life changed me forever? And what about the impending battles we would face in the war to come?
1. Wastes of Space

Today was the day. The Day of the Reaping was upon us, and I glanced at my sister as we kept walking through the broken warehouse.

'You'd think, that today of all days, they might let up on this mission. For the love of god, we might not even make the kill, we might be whisked to some foreign land, a different time, moments from taking this bastard down," Tash grumbled. I laughed inwardly at her discontent, a small smirk playing on my lips.

"My darling sister, you think the Guild would ever let up on a mission that could bring down the Shing Hao dynasty so conveniently established in this dark, dank derelict building," I replied in my most ostentatious voice. I laughed as she shot me an exasperated look. Maybe an introduction is in order. My name is Natalia Zhukavitch, but most people call me T. My sister, Natasha, is my identical twin, except for a few differently placed scars and piercings. Despite the name, we aren't even remotely Russian, rather proper Londoners, born and bred in the heart of England's capital. I still don't understand the attraction to that place, with all its grime and dirt. I was happy to be rid of that place. But maybe that has more to do with the memories it holds. The sound of a rattling can somewhere in another room jolted me from my thoughts, and both me and Tash crouched down out of reflex. A doorway stood, or rather leant, about 20ft away, almost collapsed in on itself. Signalling to Tash, we silently glided to either side of the doorway, making sure that not a noise escaped from beneath either of us. I couldn't see anything from my side, but one glance at Tash told a different story. Her face was a mask, only readable because of the training I had. Her eyes told me what I needed to know, without so much as a hand movement. She raised her right eyebrow, letting me know that we could take the room. We mentally counted down three seconds in synchronisation with each other, and on the third second, we darted into the room.

"What the holy fu-" I cut off the broad shouldered man with one flick of the wrist, my dagger sticking firmly into his throat. Sparing a fleeting glance, there were four more to take down, each built like brick houses. Two were headed my way, the other two to Tash. _Well, that works out nicely_ I thought silently to myself, almost smirking. Drawing my katanas, the blades made a soft metallic swish. The first man to reach me must have been about 6ft 5", and his thick set jaw showed nothing but hatred. He lunged forward, a clumsy, stumbling effort, and I easily removed his right hand with my sword, a knife through butter. He yelled in pain and anger, as the second man edged into my field of vision. As he was about to make his move, I swung round expertly, spinning the blades artistically through the air, before slicing across his frame. He went down immediately, his guts spilling from his stomach. A sound from behind reminded me of the bumbling imbecile now a hand down, and I spun fluidly to face him.

"You stupid bitch, who do you think you are?" he growled menacingly. Inwardly sighing at his arrogance, I swiftly placed one katana back into its holder. He started forward, and I twisted out of his reach easily, almost dancing past him. His eyes gave away every move he was making, so when he attempted to smash me in the face, I was already rolling out the way. _Well, guess it's time to stop toying with him. _With one swift motion, I dodged his hulking form, and delivered a swift and fatal blow through his throat. Removing the blade, I flicked off the blood and slid it onto my back, into its holder, just as Tash was finishing off her fight. She used a smaller pair of pinuti swords, as opposed to my katanas.

"You need to stop playing around with them so much, just get the job done," she said, in almost a motherly tone. I had a habit of messing with the people we were meant to kill. I just enjoyed mind games is all.

"After everything they've done to us, that's the least of their worries," I said, spitting on the nearest dead body. "What do you think they were doing down here? The intelligence says that the main objective is at least 3 floors up - why would his idiotic henchman be away from his side?" Tash stayed silent, neither of us wanting to speak more than we had to so as not to draw unwanted attention. I stalked over to where I'd taken down the first guy and removed my dagger from his throat, quickly wiping it on my shirt, then sticking it with the others. Giving Tash a quick nod, we ventured further into the building. As we passed a dirty pane of glass, I took in my appearance. My long, dark hair tinted purple under the small slithers of light coming through the broken windows, my combat trousers stained with blood and dirt. The buckles on my leather jacket glinted in the light, and my weapons looked at home in various places upon my body - my katanas crossing over each other on my back, my quiver of arrows running down the centre of them. My bow lay diagonally across me, the string resting beneath the bottom of the katana holders. My belt of daggers was hidden beneath by shirt, along with a small bundle of shuriken, commonly known as ninja stars. Each weapon I had trained with for years, and when I used them, they became extensions of both my physical body and my mind. Tash also carried a bow and arrow, but had various other weapons - her pinuti swords hung one at each side, and her handgun, a Desert Eagle, always stayed in the right side holster. Her final weapon was her bundle of chakram, small discs with a sharpened outer edge. Whilst we silently stalked the seemingly endless corridors, it gave me time to reflect upon what today actually was - the Day of the Reaping. The reaping happened twice a year, once at the spring equinox and once at the winter solstice. This time, it was winter, and if upon queue, a biting wind rattled through the lifeless shell of the warehouse. Some years ago now, a team of scientists developed a piece of technology allowing for the transportation of one person back in time, to any random place. At first, people volunteered - they thought they'd come back, but it soon became clear that it was a one way trip, and after that, the volunteers thinned out and in the end, they had to resort to the capture of unwilling subjects and force them through the time warp. Eventually, they developed enough to be able to use some kind of beam, projected from one central point to anywhere in the world, that would select the person and off they went - never seen or heard of again. There were complications, and glitches, but they either didn't care, or couldn't fix them. So the Day of the Reaping was born, and so for the two dates in the year, people would pack what they could into a rucksack and carry it around all day, in case they were the subject. To be honest, me and Tash never gave that much attention to it - we had work to do, and we always carried our minimal supplies with us anyway. Besides, if we were the subject, we'd both go, because we both share the same DNA - another glitch of the system. Bringing myself back into the present moment, it seemed oddly quiet, almost suspiciously so. Looking over at Tash, I signalled for her to take the right side of the stairs we were approaching. Just as we got to the first step, a single shot rang out, ricocheting off of the metal hand rail. We acted on instinct, both grabbing our bows and drawing an arrow. We stood back to back, meaning all avenues were covered by our field of vision, watching wordlessly for the gunman. A shine off to my right gave just a seconds advantage as the barrel of a gun whipped round the corner, followed by a small, but stocky guard. Without hesitation, I released my arrow, watching with almost sadistic satisfaction as it struck through his brain. It was a noiseless kill, silent but deadly. When it seemed he was the only enemy, we started stealthily upstairs, bows still ready.

"...before they find us. They know, they know too much!" A single voice rang out angrily down the hallway. That was him - Shing Hao, the man in charge of so many deaths, so many 'accidents'. He thought he ruled the streets, his name striking fear into those who heard it. He'd established some kind of drug empire, killing off competition and people who didn't buy from him. The order for his assassination came after he had a classroom full of children hosed with an AK-47. Apparently he didn't like the way their teacher taught them on the dangers of drugs. And now here we were, moments away from killing the man we've been tracking for months. Moving soundlessly towards the door where his voice echoed out, we stood either side, ready to bust it open. Mouthing silently to Tash, I counted down from 3. As I reached 1, I kicked in the door, and we held our weapons ready. A small, balding man stood in the centre of the room, surrounded by larger, more dangerous looking henchmen. It took all but a second for every gun to be trained on us.

"Glad to see you made it - wouldn't want you to miss the party now, would we," the small man said, as I took in his appearance. He looked to be in his late forties, his greying hairline retreating. He was thin, with no real muscle, his too big suit making him look all the more pathetic. "I am Shing Hao, and this is your funeral girls. But, before proceedings begin - " And like that, we were gone. A single moment in time that felt like the fabric of time and space was ripping, where breathing wasn't an option. All the air sucked itself from out of my lungs, and that second seemed to last forever. And in an instant, there we were, standing in a field, complete with barracks and an obstacle course.

"He wasn't even Chinese! Are you fucking shitting me? We tracked him for this long, and he wasn't even fucking Chinese! I mean come on, his name was Hao. Hao! Jesus Christ you would ha - " It took me a while to realise there were a company of men standing behind us, an angry looking man glaring at us like we had just interrupted an important rant. "Err, hi?" I offered, though every man looked like they were seeing ghosts.

"What in God's name do you think you are doing, standing in front on my company!" The irritated man, I now recognised to be a Lieutenant yelled in our faces.

"Well, we were ripped though time and space and placed here, in front of your company, an event in which we had no control," I replied calmly. _Ok, don't get mad, it's fine, just relax. _

"Are you to say you are reapings? That goddamn technology was created barely 5 years ago and it's still going from wherever the hell you are from. Well, you look like complete and utter wastes of space, and I'll be damned if you take up anymore of my time. You are useless to me, you are useless to this time," he ranted. Looking down at his OD's, I could see his name was Sobel.

"Hey, you know what Lt. Sobel, why don't you go fuck yourself. You don't even know us, where we're from, or what we are capable of, so you might wanna reign back the fucking attitude," I retorted, getting closer to his face, which was now turning every shade of purple and red. The company behind him shifted restlessly, as if I'd just said something bound to bring on World War Three.

"How dare you speak to me in that way! Don't you ever threaten me again, you hear me! You complete and utter pile of crap!" Sobel was now on the verge of a breakdown, and I was thoroughly angered.

"You fucking what? I will fucking kill you, you son of a bitch!" I was practically launching myself at him, when Tash grabbed me, pulling me back.

"Hey, calm down, you know what happened last time. Breathe, relax," she said. _Yeah, last time the guy who spoke to me like that ended up with two broken knees and no teeth._ Focussing on her eyes, I felt myself become calmer, as Sobel was now running around trying to find someone to take us away. An older man with a moustache was walking up to us, a kinder look on his face than Sobel's.

"Ladies, my name is Colonel Sink. I am sorry you're in this situation, but we must try to resolve it as best as possible. Come this way, to my office. We'll get you sorted." He motioned with his hand, indicating for us to walk with him. As we went to follow, Sobel walked into my path, expecting me to move. Instead, I just ploughed right into him, knocking him off balance.

"You better watch yourself, girl," he sneered. Turning round, I squared right up to his face, so close I could see his eyes twitching in anger.

"Yeah, or what?" I dared him, never breaking his glare.

"Lt. Sobel, please stop riling up the new arrivals, especially when one of them has a worse temper than Guarnere and Liebgott combined," Colonel Sink said matter of factly. Giving me one last stare, Sobel turned back to his men. Tash lightly took my arm, leading me after the Colonel. As we walked past the company of men, all eyes were on us, but only one pair really made me double take. He had an intense gaze, his brown eyes like depthless swirling pools. He had a smirk plastered on his face, a smirk of mischief and temper. I gave him a quick nod, a small smile tugging the corner of my lips. _This is gonna be a hell of a lot of fun_ I thought, before trailing after my sister and Sink.


	2. You Ever Killed A Man?

As we made our way to Sink's office, I began to take in the surrounding area. There were rows of barracks, interspersed with more official looking buildings. An obstacle course stood on an open field, the one we had landed in earlier. _It looks more like a damn playground._ The training me and Tash had received was extreme - to the point where some thought suicide was a better option. Sink walked into a wooden building, directing us through a door on the right. His office was small, but light. A nervous looking private stood by the door, not realising the look on his face at two women from the future was dumbstruck. I gave him a curt nod, the corner of my mouth slightly uplifted into a half smirk. _Jesus, he's gonna fucking pass out _I thought as he paled slightly.

"Private, wait outside," Sink ordered to the bundle of nerves at the door, who practically ran out. "Now, normally we'd consider the reapings an issue, but it seems you two can quite handle yourself. As you may know, women are not normally accepted into the Airborne. But something tells me you have more to offer than most women. Tell me about yourselves, thought only at your comfort." He smiled, giving us a look of empathy. Tash glanced over at me, knowing I normally always started this conversation whenever the subject arose.

"Well, my name is Natalia Zhukavitch, commonly known as T, and my twin here is Natasha, commonly known as Tash. We come from 70 years in the future. We're from London, but you probably guessed that from our accents," I commented with a shrug. "Our family died when we were 8 years old, and we were taken in by the Guild. The League of Assassins Guild became our family, our home. Our life was devoted to one sole cause - getting rid of the tyrants worldwide. Might seem crazy, but that's what we did. With all due respect, our worlds are different - I don't know how this sounds to you, but I can only guess it might sound, well, unreal. But it's true. Our training and experience put us in the toughest places, making decisions that most people couldn't even dream up. Personally, I think we could crack the Airborne," I stated matter-of-factly.

"What she means is she thinks we would be a worthwhile addition to your cause, sir," Tash added quickly, giving me a quick jab in the side.

"I'm sorry to hear about your family," was Sink's reply. I internally rolled my eyes - that was the first thing anybody said. Don't mind the fact we killed people for a day job. "I don't want to dig too far into your lives - I imagine travelling back 70 years has taking a slight toll on your minds. For now, we will put you up in the barracks with Easy Company. They are good men, very determined, and they will welcome you. We will talk more tomorrow, and I'll decide whether you will be added to one of our companies. I can't make a quick decision, and I'll have to rely on the words of my superior officers. For now, as I said, you'll bunk with Easy, so be careful around Sobel." He raised an eyebrow at me in an almost exasperated manner.

"Can we train with them too?" I hated not being active, or on a mission, or doing something. It kept my mind off things.

"I will permit it, but believe you me, any trouble and you'll be confined to the barracks. Am I making myself clear?" Sink was serious about this.

"Yes, sir. Thank you for this. It means a lot," Tash practically gushed as I bit my tongue from making a smart ass remark about licking the dirt from Sink's shoes.

"You know your way back to Easy's barracks?" Sink asked, more as a dismissal than an actual question. We nodded, and I gave him a nod as we exited, passing the anxious private again. Being one for bad taste jokes, I whipped out one of my ninja stars, and one flick of my wrist saw it embedded in the wall, millimetres from the private, who jumped about 10 feet in the air, whilst almost turning green.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Did you not just hear what he said in there?" Tash yanked the star out of the wall, giving the private an apologetic look as I tried to regain my composure from laughing. Thrusting the star back into my holder, she grabbed my arm and yanked me out the building. _Oohh son, she is mad. _She marched a little further, until pulling me up in front of an empty building. "Can you ever just be, I don't know, not a complete fucking wild card?! I mean seriously, you coulda got a us kicked out for that!"

"But did you see his face though?" I burst out laughing again, and Tash's telling off face faltered as she tried to contain her laughter. Failing completely, we ended up choking back tears of laughter as we made our way to the barracks. We heard voices from inside, a low chat among the men of Easy Company.

"You think their here to stay?" a Philly accent sounded. Before anyone could reply, I stepped inside the hut.

"Well, for the time being, I guess we are," I stated, as each man turned an looked at us, a mixture of shock, annoyance, and intrigue. I felt Tash enter behind me, as I glanced across the room.

"You think your better than us?" A voice sounded out, and the owner stood up from his bunk. A weasly looking guy, not any real competitor if it came to a fight.

"Sit down, Cobb. They just got here, you wanna scare 'em off?" A good looking guy came to stand before us. He had dark hair, and a great pair of eyes. His smile was the real deal, cheeky, but kinda sexy at the same time. "George Luz. Don't mind Cobb, he's just a bit of a jerk." I smiled. I liked this guy. He reminded me of one of my brothers back in the days when I had a real family.

"Natalia Zhukavitch, but call me T," I said, observing the confused looks. "Yeah, we don't sound Russia, because we're not."

"I'm Natasha, go by Tash." She stood in the doorway, glancing at Cobb, who for some reason was still eyeballing me like he already hated me. I skirted round Luz, walked past numerous bunks until I stopped at Cobb's.

"You got an issue with me?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I do. All that show out there, what the hell? You acting like your some big shot, who hasn't even got a clue what being in the army is like," he mouthed off. My stance shifted, undetectable to all but Tash.

"T, don't take the bait..." she warned. But that bait was firmly between my teeth and I'll be damned if this dickhead was going to berate me without even knowing what my life entailed.

"Tell me, Cobb, you ever killed a man? Because I have. It's my job, you know. And men two, three times your size never posed a problem. So in reality, all you are is a minor stain on an otherwise blank canvas." By this point, I was up in his face, and felt someone move behind me. A fleeting glance told me it was Tash.

"You threatening me, lady?" The atmosphere in the room was practically on fire, with not one person making a move, but every single body was completely fixed on the situation.

"Nope, just stating a fact," I said, smiling at him sweetly, enraging him even more. His face was struggling to stay blank, a smirk now itching on my lips.

"Come on, T. Leave it, he isn't worth us getting kicked out on our first damn day," Tash sighed, resting her hand on my shoulder.

"I think you may be right, let's leave it a couple of days, then see where we are. Watch your step, Cobb, don't wanna end up in a hole we can't dig ourselves out of now, do we?" I asked innocently. He huffed angrily, though it sounded more like a sigh, and stormed out, almost tripping over the lip of the door frame. I laughed lightly to myself, and Tash just rolled her eyes.

"On behalf of my less than calm sister, I apologize," she said, as I just shrugged nonchalantly.

"No need. Cobb's a prick anyway. We need more people like you around, keep him on his toes," a Cali accent said. Looking around, I saw it was the man I'd shared a smirk with earlier, walking past Easy on parade. The man with the eyes any normal girl would get lost in. "Name's Liebgott, Joseph Liebgott." A half smirk played on his lips. _Damn son, he was beautiful. _Woah, stop right there. I never felt anything for any human being, besides Tash. I was the unbreakable, emotionless assassin. Before I could think anymore, other men started to introduce themselves - Toye, Guarnere, Webster, Malarkey, Perconte, all of them nice guys, no more Cobbs.

They'd shown us where we'd be bunking, the two empties at the end. I was between the wall and Tash, and she was next to Christenson. By now, the sun had set, and we were getting ready to inform the guys of some of the things we'd seen, where we were from, all the usual. Cobb was still out, no one really paying mind to it.

"So, what's your story? I mean, you kill people? Jesus christ, how much does the world change?" Guarnere was a straight talker, and I knew we'd get along well. People like him just tended to bond better with me than with Tash. Not that she wouldn't get along with him, I was just more brash than her.

"Ok, so boring stuff first. We're from London, 70 years in the future, which, by the way, is a shithole. Don't go out of your way to go there before you die, trust me it's nothing special. Family died when we were 8, no one to look after us. The school we went to didn't care when we stopped showing up. No one did," Tash said. She always hated the fact that her education was cut short. She planned to be a doctor, grow up, run a practice.

"And then the Guild took us in. The League of Assassins Guild. They became our home, our family, and everything in between. We trained with them for years, and when we were ready, they'd send us out on missions, all over the world. We have our speciality weapons, and our secondary weapons." I walked over to my bunk, where I'd placed all my weapons, bar my daggers. "I use katanas, ninja stars, daggers and a bow and arrow. Seems kinda out dated, but get the right training, it's deadlier than a rookie with a gun. No offence," I said, shrugging.

"None taken, Boudicca," Luz smiled back. _Boudicca, I like that. _We spoke for a while to the guys about weapons, and training, though skipping out the unnecessary personal details.

"So what about the reaping? What's it like?" Liebgott asked, genuine intrigue written over his face.

"The Day of the Reaping, everyone is shitting themselves. It's kinda hilarious. It happens twice a year, and only once person is chosen. But we're twins, so have the same DNA, meaning it only counts us as one person. We always carry our stuff with us anyway, because we're always on a mission. We don't own anything, so our personal item list is kinda small. My bag mainly consists of cigarettes and alcohol."

"Now we're getting somewhere," Guarnere grinned. I laughed - being here actually made me feel...happy. _And that is strange..._

"So on the Day of the Reaping, someone disappears, and they'll never be found again. Well, not where they come from, anyway. But it could have been timed better," I said, still annoyed over the whole issue.

"Yeah, we almost got this guy we'd been tracking for months. Shing Hao - "

"The guy that wasn't even Chinese!" Luz did a pretty good impression of my rant from when we landed. I laughed. _Maybe this isn't such a bad thing, I thought. _

After some more getting-to-know-the-men chats, we decided to turn in, the day turning into the early hours of tomorrow. I placed my leather jacket at the end of my bed, on an empty footlocker, the buckles jangling softly. I removed my boots, glad to finally have my feet free. As I was getting ready to get into my bunk, I felt someone watching me. I looked across, and saw Liebgott on the bunk opposite, regarding me with his oh-so luscious eyes. He reached into his pocket, and took out a small carton. Quietly, he threw it onto my bunk, where I saw it was a pack of cigarettes. Smiling to myself in the dark, I reached into my bag, grabbing a small bottle of whiskey. I returned the favour, throwing in onto his bunk, then settled down for the night.


	3. Alcohol is a Good Friend

I woke up the next morning, having had a better sleep than I'd had in while. _No bad dreams, and not on a concrete floor. _That was a luxury we rarely experienced normally.

"Morning, Boudicca," Luz said as I stretched, swinging my legs down to touch my feet on the cool wooden floor.

"Morning, sunshine," I replied, receiving one of his grins. I glanced over at Tash, still asleep. I grabbed my jacket, throwing it at her. After hearing a groan, I knew I'd woken her up and a small smile managed to make it's way across my face.

"You're a fucking idiot," she moaned.

"Takes one to know one, sis," I laughed. Stretching again, I heard the satisfying clicks in my neck and back, loosening up for the day ahead.

"Woah, nice ink," Perconte said, his eyebrows raised on his tan face. When I'd stretched, my combats had raised slightly, revealing the bottom of the tattoo on my right leg. Perconte's statement gathered some interest from the rest of the men.

"Thanks, that was my first. I've got another one on my left calf. I was planning to get more, but didn't get the time." I lifted my combat to just above the top of the ink, careful not to reveal more of my leg than I needed to, trying to keep past scars hidden. _I do not want those questions arising yet._ I smiled at their confused looks. "It's Loki, the Norse god of mischief. This is how he's portrayed in the movies." The black silhouette of the god was easily identifiable against my pale skin.

"Freedom is life's great lie." Muck read the words crossing the tattoo. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, Skip, it means what it says. It means that no matter what you think, you're never truly free. It's one big lie. Right now your under control of Sobel, and before that you all had jobs that controlled your lives. When you were a kid, your families, mothers, fathers, they controlled your life. When you get older, you learn to realise that even if you don't have anything to tie you down, you still aren't free. Death is the ultimate prison, a destination everyone heads to. We can never be free of it, ever." The men in the room looked at me. _Yeah, not the most optimistic way to start the morning._ "Ok, jeez, I didn't just kill your dogs! No more speeches, I promise!" I held up my hands, as they regarded me with an amused look.

"Let's see the other one then, T," Luz sounded. I lifted up the other pant leg, and showed them my Lord of the Rings tattoo. It was my favourite - it had the four points on the circle of Isengard, Mordor, the Shires and Rivendell, and in the middle, the ring writing was written in red.

"Ok, so in a few years, this guy called Tolkien is gonna publish a kickass book called The Lord of the Rings, and trust me, it becomes the best fucking series of movies!" Talbert was looking at my leg, and it took a lot for me not to laugh at his face, trying to read the inscription. "It's Elvish," I told him.

"It's what?" Guarnere, along with the rest of Easy were completely confused. "What the hell is Elvish?"

"It's a made up language by Tolkien, that T has way too much time for," Tash groaned, finally getting up off her bunk. "How long we got before food? I could eat a frickin' horse."

"Now you mention it, I am fucking starving," I added. I walked over to my pack, grabbing out a packet.

"No fucking way is that beef jerky!" Toye exclaimed in his husky voice.

"You bet it's beef jerky, only the best food in the entire world." I opened the packet, a salty smell escaping the bag.

"Christ, I will give you a pack of cigarettes for some of that jerky," Perconte said, practically throwing them at me.

"I mean, you coulda just asked for some jerky, but if you're offering, I don't mind taking," I laughed, as I stole Perconte's cigarettes and gave him the pack of dried up meat. Almost immediately, he was mobbed by 95% of Easy company. I went over to my bag, grabbed a fresh pack and sat on my bed, thoroughly enjoying the chaos. I smiled as Tash gave me one of her 'seriously' looks, and I just shrugged.

"You're gonna give me some of that, right?" Liebgott was standing at the end of my bunk, a smirk playing on his lips, dimpling one of his cheeks.

"Jeez, can't a girl catch a break?" I joked, throwing the pack at him. I had a huge stash in my bag.

"The whole thing?" He looked like he'd just won the lottery. Before I could answer, a man with ginger hair stepped into the barracks.

"Listen up, Easy! Outside in two minutes!" Then he was gone. He wasn't bad looking, a kind face, with cool, green eyes. As soon as he'd spoken, anything about beef jerky was forgotten, and the men were scrambling to get their kit sorted. Me and Tash followed suit, lacing up our boots, and I threw on my jacket. The rest of the men were exiting the hut, and just before I stepped foot outside, Tash grabbed my arm.

"You know Sobel's gonna give you shit, so keep your head down and do not let him get to you. Shut him out. We cannot afford to mess this up. Where else can we go?" The pleading look in her eyes said more than the words she'd just spoken. Tash meant the world to me, she was all I had left, and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to protect her in every way possible.

"Sure. I promise I won't fuck this up, for you," I said, giving her a smile and squeezing her arm reassuringly.

We'd been standing outside for a good ten minutes, before the jackass made his appearance.

"You people are at the position of attention!" Sobel yelled, rounding the corner, nothing but hatred written over his features. The men straightened up, now fully awake. He walked down the line, glancing at everyone as he went. "Private Perconte, have you been blousing your trousers over your boots like a paratrooper?" He looked down on the small Italian like he wasn't worth the time of day.

"No, sir."

"Then explain the creases at the bottom," Sobel challenged. It went on like this, going through everyone he could find an issue with, including Luz, Malarkey, a man called Lipton, and then he got to me.

"Name." He ordered, like I wasn't more than the shit on his boots.

"Zhukavitch, Natalia." I made sure to pronounce the Zh in my surname as a 'sh' sound, ensuring he at least knew how to say my name, even if it meant nothing.

"Zhukavitch, if you had a pass to revoke, I would just because of your presence." _He pronounced it wrong._ "Just because you are standing with my company, it does not mean you are worth my time. You should think yourself lucky Colonel Sink finds you worthy of breathing the same air as Easy Company. Do you have anything to say?" I knew he was looking for a reaction, something negative to report back to Sink. With every ounce of self-control I had, I levelled my gaze to his.

"Thank you, sir." I swear I heard Skip laughing. Sobel's eyes narrowed, a look of pure disgust, before he went back to stalking the lines.

"Name." He'd found a new victim.

"Liebgott, Joseph D., sir."

"Rusty bayonet, Liebgott. Do you wanna kill Germans?" _Is he for real? Fucking jerk._

"Yes, sir." He tapped the bayonet on Liebgott's helmet, making me even more annoyed. Biting back a comment, I continued to stare straight out at the field.

"Not with this." Sobel turned and marched back to the front, knocking Talbert on his way past. "I wouldn't take this rusty piece of shit to war, and I will not take you to war in your condition," he said throwing the bayonet into the ground. "Now, thanks to these men and their infractions, every man in the company who had a weekend pass has lost it. Change into your PT gear, we're running Currahee. Zhukavitch, both of you, you're running it in your jackets." I inwardly sighed, the Toccoa heat bearing down on us. Martin, standing next to me, shot me an apologetic look.

"2nd Platoon, fall out. We have two minutes," the man I now knew was called Winters ordered. Liebgott ran to get his knife, while the rest of the men went to go get changed. I was about to follow, but Tash grabbed my arm.

"Really, a bunch of men getting changed? You wanna walk in to that?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well, they aren't the worst bunch of men I've ever seen," I countered, but stayed out until Martin walked past, calling out to us.

"They'll have their gear on by now, come on in," he grinned. Stepping inside the hut, the men were now wearing a white shirt and a pair of blue shorts. _White shirts have never looked more attractive_ I thought as I looked around the room.

"Hey, Perconte, what are you thinking of, blousing your pants?" Martin asked, walking to the end of the room.

"Shut up, alright? He gigged everybody," Frank responded, looking annoyed.

"Yeah? Well, you should know better! Don't give him no excuses!" Johnny said, turning round and glaring at Perconte. I shot an amused glance to Luz, as Frank challenged Martin to come and find the creases. At that moment, Lipton came in clapping his hands.

"Alright, let's go! On the road, in PT formation. Let's move, move, move! Perconte! Let's go, Perconte." Frank reluctantly took off his shirt, throwing it on his bunk. As they all left, Roe gave us a curt nod, knowing the uphill struggle we were quite literally about to face.

"Private White, why are you not in your PT gear," Lipton said to the man still sitting on his bunk. White stayed silent, returning only a sullen look to his sergeant. "I asked you a question, private," Lipton said, as he walked over to White. He stayed quiet, even when Lipton crouched in front of him. Sighing, Lipton got up and left White where he sat. "Come on, ladies. Let's go show Sobel what you're made of, huh?" Lipton seemed like a real nice guy, and he gave us a small smile as he exited the hut. Tash and I hurried out after him, catching up to the rest of the Company, who were being jeered at by some other men.

"Ah, Easy Company! Hey, while you're running, don't worry, we'll take your dames to the movies for ya!" called one of the men.

"Yeah, good, they need some female company,"replied Liebgott, making me laugh. We began to run through the middle, but the two females obviously caught their attention.

"Well, check out the new meat. Wouldn't mind you staying behind to keep me company. Whad'ya say, doll?" It was the same one who'd called out before. Without missing a beat, I stopped in front of him, looking up coyly through my eyelashes, a smile plastered on his dumb face.

"Well, when you put it like that, I'd rather cut off my hands with a blunt knife and bleed out slowly," I replied sweetly, before swiftly swinging my leg round, knocking his feet out from under him, earning applause from Easy. Shifty patted me on the back as he jogged past, laughing to himself, whilst the now floored man was lost for words.

_This is a big motherfucking hill. _Maybe their training was a little harder than I'd initially given it credit for, but Sobel's fuckass voice pierced through my thoughts.

"Where do we run?" he yelled.

"Currahee!"

"What's Currahee mean?" Sobel yelled again.

"We stand alone!" the men replied.

"How far up? How far down?" His voice was really starting to get to me.

"Three miles up, three miles down!" responded Easy.

"Now, what company is this!" _Fucking christ, I just wanna smack his fucking teeth out._

"Easy Company!"

"And what do we do?" He either chose to ignore my look of contempt I threw at him or he didn't see it.

"Stand alone!" I glanced over at Malarkey, to my left, giving him an exasperated look. Skip tripped, twisting his ankle, and Smokey and Don went to help him stay upright, when Sobel piped up. Again.

"Do not help that man. Do not help that man! You do not stop!" Audibly growling, I wished nothing but hatred upon this man. Malarkey placed a hand on my arm subtly, trying to keep me as calm as possible. I took in a breath, and glanced over at Tash behind me, running with More and Christenson. _I cannot mess this up. Not again, not like last time. _I looked back to Malarkey, and gave him a smile to show him I was under control.

We continued running, the slope seeming never to end. By this point, I was sweating crazily, my leather jacket soaked through. I hated the heat, always preferring the colder environments. The heat made my temper worse, and one wrong thing said at this precise moment would set me off no end.

"You have 13 minutes to get to the top of this mountain if you wanna serve in the paratroopers! And some people just have to prove their worthy of even being considered human beings! Hi-yo silver!" With that, Sobel put sped up ahead, and all I could think of was how much glee I would get out of killing this man off.

"That motherfucking pile of shit wanker fucking dick!" My sentences tended just to be strung together with swear words when I got worked up, and right now, I was as wound up as humanly possible.

"Christ, T. You got a mouth on you, that's for sure," Smokey laughed between laboured breathing. I smiled despite myself.

By the time I was nearing the top, the men had become spread out, almost in a line as opposed to the earlier PT formation. I was running alongside Guarnere, and we slapped the post at the same time, after Winters. Sobel looked at me with contempt and hatred, a look I glad returned, letting my eyes show nothing but steely resolve.

"Come on, you can make it up there! Come on, Alley! Let's go! Come on Guarnere, Zhukavitch! You got it, come on!" Winters encouraged, as the men ran up the last stretch. I gave Tash a wink as she passed me, behind Wynn. _Well, at least this is a downhill stretch. _

When we got back to the barracks, my jacket was literally stuck to my arms and my back. I was drenched in sweat, to the point of being able to ring out my shirt. I threw my jacket onto the bed, and felt a hot wetness spreading down my back. _Shit, now that is not sweat. _I had some scars on my back from a mission a while back, and hated anyone knowing about them, and sometimes they opened up - they'd never been able to heal properly. And last time, I left it a while before I got it seen to and ended up with blood poisoning. Making sure my back was facing the wall, I noticed Roe was one of the others in the hut.

"Uh, hey, Roe? Can I talk to you for a sec?" My palms had started to go clammy from the thought of having to show him. He nodded, walking over, his brown eyes concerned.

"What's up?" he asked, his expression soft.

"Umm, I have an issue, it's my back. I need you to take a look at it." I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, something he seemed to pick up on.

"Sure, I'll walk you over to the medical hut," he offered, giving me a small smile. I grabbed my jacket, putting it back on, earning a few looks from the other men - it was still boiling. As we were exiting, Tash was walking in with Guarnere, Malarkey and Luz. Raising my right eyebrow, and nodding my head slightly back told her what was wrong. We'd learnt to use facial expression and certain movements to communicate, as certain missions entailed complete silence. George, Don and Bill gave me a quizzical look, but Tash nodded and gave me a quick wink.

"You understood that?" Guarnere asked, almost in disbelief.

"It's a gift," Tash joked as me and Roe walked towards the hut with the red cross. I was relieved to see we were the only people in there as I stepped through the door, seeing as there was little privacy available.

"Ok, so before I tell you, you gotta promise me you won't tell anyone," I practically pleaded.

"I promise you, whatever it is, is safe with me. Let's take a look." He ushered me to a bunk as I removed my jacket. He saw the blood before I'd even put my jacket down. "Merde." He cursed in French in his thick Louisiana accent. "What is this?" He raised his eyes to reach my own.

"A few years ago, something happened. I'm not going into now, but the end result was a bunch of scars on my back. They never healed properly, so every now and then, they play up." I hadn't noticed I was shaking until he placed his hands over mine, bringing me back to reality.

"Mon cherie, let me have a look. I'm not going to hurt you, ok?" His gaze held mine, like he could see right into my thoughts. I was only wearing a lumberjack type shirt, so I unbuttoned the front and took out one arm, keeping it close to my stomach and chest. Roe said nothing, but got up to grab some stitches, and bandage packs. The thick, purple scars ran diagonally down the length of my back, deep and harsh against my pale skin. It looked as if something had clawed it's way down my back, ripping the flesh in jagged, jarred movements. I hissed through my teeth as Eugene administered rubbing alcohol to clean the wound, his touch gentle and warm. Just as he was threading the needle to sew the offending scar back up, a knock on the door followed by a 'Holy shit!' made my blood run cold. I spun around, as did Roe, to see Malarkey propping up Skip. I stared at them, not knowing how to react, until they came through the entrance, shutting the door behind them. Malarkey placed Muck on the bunk next to me, and I finally came to my senses.

"You. Can. Not. Tell. Anyone," I said, levelling my eyes to both of theirs. My expression told them I was't joking. I felt like my scars were a sign of weakness, and if there's one thing I hated, it was appearing weak or vulnerable. Not that it ever really happened.

"We wouldn't do that. I swear to you," Don replied, furrowing his brow.

"We can leave if you want, I only need ice for my ankle," Skip offered, and I couldn't help but smile, all be it sadly.

"You've seen them now, might as well stay," I sighed, pulling my shirt all the more closer to my front. "Ok, let's get this done." Eugene nodded, and began to sew up the wound as I gritted my teeth. Malarkey came to sit next to me, placing his hand over mine.

"I promise right now, this stays in the room. We don't know much about you yet, but we do know that we're all willing to protect you. You got it tough, being thrown back 70 years and having to face people like Sobel. It's not right, so we're gonna give you as much support as possible," Don said, studying my face.

"It might not seem it, but we're grateful. I don't really do emotions - I've dealt with too much shit to be bothered by them anymore. But honestly, we are thankful." I smiled at Malarkey, a genuine smile.

"We're all done," Eugene stated, gently cutting off the thread. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You were never here, mon cherie." I got up off the bunk, slipping my shirt back on quickly. Malarkey handed me my jacket, giving me a wink. One corner of my mouth lifted into a smile. _How could I ever not feel accepted around __these men? _I glanced at Skip, laying on his bunk, and laughed.

"What?" He looked at me in an amused fashion.

"I sprained my ankle once. It happened when I fell down a flight of stairs fighting an oil tycoon," laughing at how bizarre that sounded out loud.

"Jeez, way to make me look bad!" Muck joked. As I was leaving the hut, I walked over to Eugene. And I did something I hadn't done in a while. I hugged him. The last time I'd hugged someone was, well, years ago.

"Thank you." It was a simple thanks, but as Roe returned my hug, I knew it meant a lot to him. "Right, I need a damn cigarette." I broke away from him, making my way back to the barracks. I got a cigarette out my pocket, then patted myself down, trying to find my lighter. "For fuck sake," I muttered under my breath.

"You want me to help you find you lighter? I could give you a better pat down," a voice called. I turned around and laughed as I saw Luz and Liebgott approaching.

"Or you could just give me a light?" I replied.

"Come on, where's the fun in that, Boudicca?" George's smile lit up his face, and I felt myself smiling with him.

"You wish, George."

"I got a light, I'll just wait a little longer before I ask to feel you up," Liebgott joked, his smile doing the cheek dimpling thing again, making me question my thoughts - again.

"You both have such an eloquent way with words, don't you?" I lit my cigarette, taking a well earned puff, inhaling it deep into my lungs. "You want one?" I offered them both.

"We're good, we got out supplies stocked up," Luz said with a wink. "You heading back to barracks?" I nodded. "Well, so are we as it goes. May we escort a warrior queen?" George pretended to bow and extended a hand. _Oh, what the hell._

"You may," I replied in a fake posh accent, taking Luz's hand in one arm, and Liebgott's in another. _I could get used to this. _I smiled to myself, but a voice crept in on my thoughts. _That's what you thought last time. _Shaking the thought from my mind, I focussed on the now, rather than what had happened in the past.

Later that night, we were once again sitting round together - Me, Tash, Muck, Malarkey, Penkala, Randleman, Perconte, Roe, Liebgott, Luz, Guaranere, Grant, Talbert, Powers, Martin and Toye - and we were talking.

"Ok, so I normally call people by their nicknames, but I don't know any of yours. So what I'm saying is, tell me your nicknames." I had this thing where I liked calling people not by their real names, and I have no idea where it comes from.

"We'll do that, but for each one you get, you gotta answer a question," Guarnere said.

"Deal."

"Well, I don't have a nickname," said Skip. "Neither does Luz, Grant, Martin or Toye. So what part of London did you grow up in?"

"Firstly, you will have nicknames when I think of them, and secondly, how does that even qualify for a question?" I said jokingly. The men started to protest. "Ok, ok, jeez. We grew up around Camden, where the weird and wonderful truly lived. There were awesome markets, that sold everything, illegal or legal. There were always different people to meet, even though I'm not a people person. The food was always pretty good, if you knew where to go, and the bars had a completely unique vibe. But it had its downfalls as well - drugs played a big part around Camden, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get caught up in it a few times. But for the most part, I liked Camden, maybe not the rest of London though."

"Some parts of London a basically slums. I genuinely don't see the attraction," Tash shrugged.

"Right, Malarkey shortens to Mal, Liebgott shortens to Lieb, Perconte shortens to Perco, Penkala shortens to Penk, Talbert shortens to Tab," Malarkey stated. "What actually did your job at the Guild thing entail?" Each man was focussed on this answer.

"The League of Assassins Guild was a place that trained assassins, but that bit's obvious. We were taken in when we were 8, and from then, they trained us in our chosen weapons until we'd reached a level of skill most people can only dream of. We never really made any friends - we had each other, and we were always on a mission. I killed my first man when I was 12." The room was deathly silent, the men hanging on to every word. "Our job basically had us tracking down the people in the world who endangered others, or committed acts against humanity that went unpunished. Sometimes we just had to warn them, other times we had to kill them. In the end, it becomes a way of life, and death just becomes part of you. You feel less affected by goings on around you, because the only thing you focus on is your partner and your objective." Malarkey let out a low whistle. "Okay, next." I didn't want them dwelling on every question for too long, not wanting any answer to have to be too in depth.

"I go by Bull, Roe goes by Doc, and Guarnere goes by Gonorrhoea," Randleman said in his Arkansas accent. Most people would probably find his stature intimidating, but I always felt more at home around the bulkier people. "The only real question I gotta ask is how much alcohol you got left in that bag of yours?" He laughed, as did the rest of the men, and to be fair, I had quite a lot.

"I'd say name your poison, and even though I'm basically a minibar, I don't stock everything. We're pretty much limited to vodka, rum and whiskey."

"That's fine by me," Lieb said, giving me a wink. I grabbed my bag from the end of my bunk, and Tash grabbed hers, knowing I normally stored alcohol in hers as well. I pulled out three bottles of Captain Morgan's rum, two bottles of Russian Standard vodka and five miniature Jack Daniels. Tash sighed at my complete lack of shame when it came to alcohol. Meanwhile, she'd pulled out two bottles of Scotch and a bigger bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Holy shit, you know how to drink!" Luz laughed.

As it once again neared the early hours of the morning, we headed back to our bunks, returning the alcohol back to our bags until it would be needed again. Lieb was the last one to return a bottle, and our fingers brushed one another as he handed it over. Now I'm not one for romance and love and all that, but I almost definitely felt a spark.

"Thanks, T," he said softly, a small smile playing on his lips. _God that smile makes me so, I don't know - warm? Happy? _But I did know one thing - Joseph Liebgott was a damn fine human being.


	4. A Life Filled With Death

_Running, but getting nowhere. The ground beneath my feet never moved, and I felt like I was running in slow motion. The air became thick and heavy, and the rain clouds above thundered and shook. Suddenly, the heavens opened, and the rain began to fall, but it was hot and sticky, trailing down my face in thick rivers. The realisation set in that the rain was not water, but blood. It's dark red stained my clothes, my skin, anything it touched. A voice echoed somewhere from behind me, but I couldn't turn my head._

_**"What happened on that day? Why weren't you there? You could have done something, kept us alive." **__The voice was mournful and tortured. But I still recognised it._

_"I'm sorry! I tried, I tried so hard, I promise you. Everyday I have to remember. Please, you have to listen." Tears were falling down my cheeks, carving a path down my now blood soaked face. _

**_"WHERE WERE YOU?"_**

_"I'm sorry! Don't be angry with me, please," I begged, every word they spoke dragging me further into the self hatred I already possessed."Please. I love you, Mum..." _

I sat bolt upright, sweat swimming around on my body. My breathing was hard and shallow, my heart racing against my chest. _Mum _I thought numbly. A tear fell silently down my face, and I wiped it away angrily. The nightmares were back, and they were more vivid, more real than before. I could hear her voice, echoing in my mind, her pain reflected in the words she spoke. _There's no way I'm getting back to sleep now. _I sighed inwardly, before noticing the blood on my bed. My breath caught in my throat as I remembered the blood rain, but then turned into a sigh of defeat, as I realised the stitches must have opened up during the night at some point. _Still a couple of hours before first light._ No one else was awake, which worked highly in my favour. Silently, I swung my feet to the cool floor, grabbing a spare shirt out of my bag blindly, not having enough light to pick one out carefully. I rummaged around, finding some bandage patches in my kit. Sweeping my gaze around the room to make sure everyone was definitely asleep, I unravelled the bandages, and slipped my shirt off over my head. Swiftly, I wrapped the bandage around the wound, back round to my chest, tying it firmly, before putting on my new shirt. _How am I gonna cover this up? _I looked at the bed, the sheets covered in blood. I knew I'd need some kind of help to stop word getting out, so decided to wait for one of the four people who knew - Malarkey, Skip, Doc and Tash - to wake up. I pulled the over blanket right up to the top, covering the worst areas, and placed my bag over the final stains. Realising there were still a couple of hours before everyone else woke up, I decided to rebraid my hair. I always plaited into intricate designs, about the only girly thing I was any good at. I still kept most of it down, plaiting the top sections. This time I decided to fishtail plait around the sides of my head, joining them at the back, then French braiding the middle section on the top of my head to come down past the fishtails. By the time I was finished, there were the first signs of dawn outside as the sky began to turn a mix of purple and blue.

Once again, we were running Currahee, this time the men were in their full kit. Sobel made me and Tash run with our bags too, though they weren't as heavy as their kit. Surprisingly, Sink had let us keep our weapons, possibly as a show that we were safe here. I still don't know why he hadn't taken them anyway. So Sobel also made us run in all our weapons. The arrows in the quiver were rattling, annoying pretty much everyone to my amusement, and my katanas clanged softly, like chimes. Tash's arrows were also smacking around, adding to the noise. Sobel looked down on us from above, and several times I found myself wanting to reach for an arrow and let it fly.

"We can do this! Come on!" Winters encouraged the men, which in turn helped me to focus. I was running alongside Tab, with Grant to my left. We'd only been here for a couple of days, but I felt myself already identifying the men I get along the most with - Tab was one of them, as was Grant. They were good men, pure at heart and not yet affected by the horrors of war. Grant stumbled, and I grabbed the back of his pack, pulling him up, and giving him a quick slap on the back. He shot me a tired smile. "Come on Talbert, Grant! Come on!" Winters was still shouting, and I glanced at him. Everything about him told me he wanted the best for these men, and nothing would get in his way. As he sped up, various shouts rang down the line of men, each one rallying support for each other.

We made it back to the barracks, where I was still trying to avoid the issue of sorting out my bed. We had a precious amount of spare time before the Friday night march, and everyone was in surprisingly high spirits. I smiled to myself as I took off my pack, making sure I was the first through the door to cover up the blood patch. Then the process of taking off my weapons - the belt of daggers came off first, followed by the stars. Then I removed my bow from across my back, and the quiver of arrows. Finally, I removed my katanas, taking off the holders and placing them on my bed.

"Christ, you got anythin' else on you?" Bull laughed, his eyes crinkling at the edges. I shot him a lopsided smile.

"God, it's good to take this jacket off," Tash said, throwing it on her bed. I followed suit, my leather jacket now hanging off the edge of my bed.

"You don't have to stop at the jacket!" Luz called out, that cheeky grin plastered on his face. I gave him the middle finger, earning a look of fake hurt from Luz as he clutched his heart.

"Nice shirt, T," Perco laughed. _Shit, I never checked what was on it. _Hurriedly, I looked down, and realised it literally had just one word in capital letters written over the front - FUCK.

"I probably should have put on a more conservative shirt, but I don't have too many of those," I said, glad it wasn't the shirt with naked woman on. I'm sure that would probably count as pornography in this age. The men laughed, and I headed over to my bunk, glad to be sitting down. I hadn't realised how much my legs ached, more of a dull thudding coursing through my veins.

"You did you hair differently," a voice said, taking a seat at the end of my bunk, by my feet. I looked up and met the familiar brown eyes of Lieb.

"Someone noticed," I said, glad it was him.

"I used to cut hair sometimes. Helped out in a barber shop. You need a trim, I'm always around," he joked, with a wink.

"That your sales pitch?" I laughed. "In all honesty, it could do with a trim," I shrugged. My hair fell almost to my tail bone,and the ends were beginning to split.

"I can do it now, we got enough time?" he offered, good intentions written all over his face.

"Sure. But only a trim - you cut any more off, you won't be waking up tomorrow," I half joked. Lieb raised his hands.

"Ok, ok, only a trim." He went to his footlocker, and got out a comb and a pair of scissors, and I raised an eyebrow in question. "What? Sometimes they're needed." He laughed. "Sit on the edge of the bed, down here." He motioned to the end of the bunk, where I placed myself. "You're not naturally dark haired are you?" He began running the comb through the ends of my hair, and I felt like a kid again. _Mum used to do this._ I took in a sharp breathe, gathering myself together, trying not to think of the nights events. "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm good." I forced a smile, though it didn't quite reach my eyes. I heard the scissors cutting through the bottom of my hair, and in no time at all, he was done.

"Now don't you go giving custom to any other one of these half jobs," Lieb joked, his eyes glinting.

"But you don't know where the best treatment is until you've tested it out," I joked, as he gave me a playful shove on the shoulder. As I looked around the hut, I realised most of the men, bar Skip, Toye, Tab and Cobb had left, even Tash was off somewhere else.

"I'm gonna go see where everyone's got to. Catch ya later, T-Bird," he winked at me.

"Oh, come on. T-Bird? Seriously?" Lieb laughed as he jogged out the barracks. Now time to tackle the issue from this morning. Not wanting to draw too much attention, I rifled through my bag, and found a baseball. _Perfect. _I sat on my bunk, choosing the moment carefully. When Cobb turned around, and Tab and Toye were engrossed in a game of poker, I threw the ball at Skip, hitting him lightly on the arm. He glanced up, and I motioned for him to come over.

"What's up?" he asked, concern on his face.

"Last night, my stitches opened, and my bed is covered in blood. I need to get rid of the sheets," I explained, moving my bag to the side so he could see.

"How are we gonna do it without them seeing?"

"I don't know," I sighed, fearing what I knew his response would be.

"Do you trust Joe and Floyd?" He crouched down in front of me, taking my hand in his. "We might need their help, and they won't tell anyone. I know it's hard, but I swear to you, they're good men." His eyes told me his words spoke truth, and I bit my lip, arguing with myself. Letting out a breathe, I nodded.

"Ok. But no one else can know, this can't become widespread." Skip nodded, getting to his feet. I got off the bed, and with Skip still holding my hand, we walked over to Joe and Tab. They looked up, their eyes scanning our faces.

"What's wrong," Tab asked, his eyes flicking between our faces.

"We need your help," I said. "Come on." I glanced over at Cobb, and motioned for the others to go stand by my bunk. I walked over to Cobb. "Hey, dipshit. I know you're not really sleeping - you think no-one's ever pulled that before? We need to talk. Get out." His eyes whipped open, and he sat upright.

"Go fuck yourself. I ain't doing anything you tell me." He stood up, shoving me in the process. A fire burned in my heart.

"Get the fuck out, Cobb." Joe's voiced called out from the end of the hut, making Cobb turn.

"You follow this bitch like she's the fucking president. She ain't shit. I am already sick of her and her stupid ass whore sister." His mouth had just run him into a lot of trouble. I slammed him against the wall, pinning him there.

"The fuck you say about my sister? You don't get to talk about her, you don't get to even look in her fucking direction. You got that?" My eyes filled with hatred, and I felt the other three behind me now.

"Calm down, T. He ain't worth your place here," Floyd said. I knew he was right, and the only thought that allowed me to put that fucker down was the thought of Tash being upset again. As I let him down, I felt the men behind me loosen up a bit, as Cobb's faced turned from white to red. In the blink of an eye, his fist connected with my jaw. Out of anything, I was surprised by his speed and power. In seconds, Skip was grabbing me, stopping me from doing anything back. His arms encircled my waist, and he turned me to face him. I struggled against him, trying to spin around and drop Cobb.

"Woah, calm down. Breathe, it's me." Skip was trying to settle me down and I focussed on his face, my senses becoming less heightened, my hatred lessening. Behind me, I heard the sound of a fist making contact with a body, followed by the sound of the wind being knocked out of someone.

"You ever touch her again, I swear to god, Cobb, I will fucking kill you. You ever say anything about her or her sister, you ain't gonna be waking up the next morning. You got that?" Toye had smacked Cobb in the gut, and was threatening him on my behalf. "Now get, and you mention this to anyone, we ain't gonna stop her next time." Joe watched as Cobb stumbled out the hut, coughing as he tried to regain his breathe. As he left, he shot me a look of pure hatred, and I returned it with a snarl and unblinking eyes.

"You ok, T? He hit you pretty hard," Tab asked, gently taking my chin in his hand, turning my head. His eyes fell on my jaw, which was no doubt already bruising.

"It's fine. But he better hope he don't cross me. Next time, I won't hold back," I warned. Tab released my chin, and I looked over at Joe, who looked thoroughly pissed off. I walked over to my bunk, and the others followed. Taking a breathe in, Skip gave me a reassuring nod. "Right, so I have an issue. I have scars on my back, and every so often, they open up. Doc stitched them up yesterday, but they split again last night. I need to get rid of the sheets, without anyone else noticing." My eyes were avoiding theirs, my palms sweating. My pulse was beginning to rise.

"Course we'll help you. Ain't nobody else gonna know about this either." Toye moved my bag off the bed, and swung the sheets down. "Christ, how big is it?" Joe's eyes widened, as did Tab's. They glanced at me, and I internally knew the only solution was to show them. _They can be trusted. Telling Mal, Muck and Doc actually made you feel better. _I lifted up the back of my shirt, revealing the bottom of the scars, next to my right ribcage. Floyd came closer, taking the hem of the shirt, lifting it slightly higher. I could feel their eyes raking over the harsh marks, the bandage still in place.

"How did this happen? Did someone hurt you?" Tab asked, his voice laced in concern.

"Yeah, something like that," I laughed bitterly. "Right, let's sort this."

We managed to sort the bed. Skip kept watch outside the hut, whilst me, Floyd and Toye removed the sheets, cutting them up and hiding them in their footlockers, and the bottom of my bag. I was reflecting on it, and we were now on a Friday night march. I'd managed to avoid the eyes of the men from landing on my bruised jaw, and had given Cobb a look of death that made him pale. It was dark out, a slight haze hanging in the night air. The men marched in silence, just the sound of their boots hitting the floor filtering through the air. I was marching next to Luz, keeping my head down, ensuring that the moonlight didn't reflect off my purple jaw.

"Imma say something," Bull spoke up.

"To who?" Luz questioned, shooting me a look. Bull looked down at Luz before calling out.

"Lt. Winters."

"What is it?" Winters crossed in front of the men.

"Permission to speak, sir?" Bull looked straight ahead, and Luz grinned at me, although I still didn't look up.

"Permission granted."

"Sir, we've got nine companies, sir."

"We do."

"How come we're the only company marching every Friday night, 12 miles, full-pack, in the pitch dark?" I silently laughed to myself, admiring Bull's courage.

"Why do you think, Pvt Randleman?"

"Lt. Sobel hates us, sir." _You and me both. _Winters dropped back down the line, until he was level with us.

"Lt. Sobel does not hate Easy Company, Pvt. Randleman. He just hates you." That earned open laughter from most of the men, their chuckles making me feel happier.

"Thank you, sir," Bull responded, glancing at Luz, who shot him an amused look.

"He hates you too, Luz," I laughed, sending him a wink, making sure not to turn too much.

"But his love for you is clear for all to see, Boudicca," he grinned.

Back at the barracks, we prepared for Sobel to give us a dig.

"Lt. Winters, I want canteens out of belts with the caps unscrewed," he ordered.

"Easy Company, canteens out and open." Each man took out his bottle, unscrewing the cap and holding it out in front of him.

"On my command, they will pour the contents onto the ground," Sobel said.

"Under CO's order, you will upend your canteen," Winters rallied back.

"Now, Lt."

"Pour them," Winters commanded. Everyone upended their canteens, tipping out the fresh water onto the ground, and I watched it sink into the earth. Suddenly, Sobel halted like he'd been pulled back, and turned towards the men.

"Who is this?!" he shouted as he approached one of the soldiers.I couldn't make out who the soldier was, until Sobel said his name. "Christenson! Why is there no water in your canteen? You drank from your canteen didn't you?" _Bastard._

"Sir, I was-" Sobel cut him off.

"Lt. Winters!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Was this man ordered to not drink from his canteen during the Friday night march?" Sobel never took his eyes of Christenson.

"He was, sir."

"Pvt. Christenson, you have disobeyed a direct order. You will fill your canteen and repeat all 12 miles of the march immediately!" _That fucking man, I swear to god._

"Yes, sir."

"Fall out!" Sobel yelled in his face. Christenson turned out the line, and I watched his back retreating, hating Sobel all the more for this. He was currently at the front of the line, talking to Winters, looking like he was chastising him. Every now and then, Sobel would point at the company, and was now very close to Winters' face. As he was leaving, he walked past Sgt. Evans, and caught my eye. He stopped dead in his tracks, like a predator stalking its prey. "Zhukavitch!" _Will he ever pronounce it right?_

"Yes, sir," I replied through gritted teeth.

"Have you been fighting in my company?" _Shit._

"No, sir." I could see Skip glancing back from his place in front, giving me a reassuring wink.

"Then explain the bruise stretching from your jaw to the top of your cheek," he said, his jaw clenching. I felt Luz next to me, trying to steal a glance, but not wanting to be caught by Sobel.

"I tripped and fell, and hit my face on a wall, sir," I replied without breaking eye contact.

"Zhukavitch, if I find out you've been causing trouble, you will be gone. I will no tolerate _this_," he said viciously, grabbing my chin and jerking my face to the side. Everything inside of me tensed up, ready to spring. I'd never had to control myself as much as I was in this moment, his grip tightening. I felt the men tense up, and saw Toye flexing his knuckles angrily from the side. Sobel whipped his hand away from my face, turned on his heel and walked off.

"Easy Company, fall out!" Winters called. He sent me an apologetic look, before walking off with Nixon. Lipton made his way over, his eyes filled with concern.

"Are you ok? I never thought he'd actually touch you like that," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I levelled my eyes to his.

"I'm fine thanks, Lip. I've had worse," I tried to joke. But the humour didn't reflect very well, and Lip saw through my words.

"You can always talk to me, about anything," he offered, before giving me one last smile and walking off. I hurried into the barracks, trying to reach my bunk, but every man turned to face me. I tried keeping my head down, my bruise out of sight, but it was no use. I looked up, daring any man to confront me. I found Toye's eyes, and he gave me a curt nod, anger in his eyes. I made it to my bunk, flexing my jaw. Luz threw me a pack of cigarettes, and I sent him a tired smile, mentally making a note to pay him back. A pair of footsteps stopped in front of me, Lieb looking me straight in the eye. He placed his thumb and forefinger under my chin, tilting my head to the side.

"What happened," he said lowly, so the other men couldn't hear.

"I got in a fight with Cobb, long story." Out of all the people, he could not know about the scars. Not him.

"Sobel's grip left bruises on the other side," he stated, his eyes almost looking hurt. His touch was light as he took his hand away, his thumb gently stroking down my jawline. My gaze quickly fell to the floor, and I let out a breath of despair. "He has no right to touch you. No one does," he said protectively, before turning to his bunk. I glanced over, and saw Tash signalling that we needed to talk. I nodded, making my way down the hut, earning a mixture of looks, from confused, to concerned, to annoyed.

"What was it?" Tash asked as soon as we stepped out. Her eyes latched onto the bruise.

"I had an issue with the scars, and didn't want Cobb hearing about it. I asked him to leave, as did Toye, but then he insulted you, and you know what I'm like. Then he swung at me, and Toye took care of him." I shrugged, making the story as relaxed as possible.

"I know you swore to always protect me, but right now, we need this. Please, no more fights? Not now," she sighed. My heart bled for her, for the suffering she's seen. I nodded, pulling her into a hug.

"Familia est aeternum, quia vita est sanguis," I whispered in her ear. It was our saying - family is eternal, blood is for life. I pulled away, and gave her a smile as I walked back inside. Most of the men had now settled down, sitting on their bunks, or chatting quietly.

"That wall's got quite a swing. You hit it back?" Shifty asked, the joking tone laced with seriousness.

"No. She ain't all she says she is," Cobb sneered from his bunk. Several of the men swung round to meet his gaze.

"You hit her? Are you fucking serious?" Liebgott demanded.

"It was self defence! She grabbed me," Cobb countered pathetically.

"Listen, Cobb. You are not worth mine and Tash's place here. If I'm gonna be kicked out, it won't be your doing. Just fucking leave it out, for once." I'd grown tired of his constant talk, the way he hated us for no real reason. "You got issues with us - great. But don't step outta your comfort zone, because trust me, I will bring you down. Hard." I glared at him, my eyes showing no emotion, just coldness.

"You're all talk. You say all these things about killing men, being good fighters - you ain't got no evidence. You're playing us. You're probably just some jumped up bitch trying to spin a yarn about her dead family." That was it. _How the fuck dare he mention my family? _Red crept into my field of vision, as I took a single stride to stand inches from his face.

"T, don't do anything stupid," I heard someone say. It might have been Mal. But when I got angry, any sense seemed to vacate my mind and be replaced by hatred.

"You don't know shit, Cobb! The things I've done, the things I have to live with everyday! Have you ever experienced your four year old brother, screaming in agony, as the fire consumes him, as his eyes start to melt, as the skin peels from his face. His screams turn gargled as he begins to choke up his insides, his face a contortion of torture and pain, and you can do nothing. Nothing but stand there and watch!" My breathing was erratic, my mind going a mile a minute. Every pair of eyes was on this scene, no one moving, or speaking. Tash stood in the doorway, her frame rigid and still. "You think we're playing you? The only reason I didn't rip out your fucking throat was because I need to protect Tash. I promised someone that I will never let her down, that everything I do is for her. If I'd retaliated, we'd be out on our arses, with nowhere to go and no-one who cared. As for your evidence - " I pulled off my shirt harshly, ripping off the bandage in the process. Every scar was visible for every man to see, but right then, I didn't care. My back scars glistened angrily, and the scars on my front outline clearly against my flesh. My front scars were just as deep, but shorter, more erratic and spread out - collarbone, abdomen, ribcage, everywhere. "Here is your fucking evidence, of a life filled with nothing but death, nothing but being ripped apart and having to pick yourself back up and get the fuck on with it! You. Don't. Know. Shit." Those last words were laced with a venom I never knew I had, and I pulled my shirt back on. "You marked yourself, Cobb," I almost whispered, a low unwavering threat. With that, I stormed out the door, not a man getting in my way, and even Tash knew it was best to leave me alone right now. I didn't know where I was going, but I lit up a cigarette and kept walking into the dark night.


	5. Welcome To Easy Company

I inhaled deeply on my second cigarette, releasing the smoke into the cool night air. _Why the fuck did I do that? _It was the only thought spinning round in my head, as I cursed myself for being so temperamental. I was sitting on the damp grass in the middle of the field, not caring if anyone saw me. I just needed to clear my head, and get rid of all the thoughts of what had just happened. _They're probably all gonna think I'm a fucking head case. _I'd almost certainly fucked things up for Tash. I was jerked from my thoughts when I heard the soft sound of footfall on the grass.

"Nice spot you got there. Bit crowded, though." I looked up to see Skip smiling down at me, before sitting down next to me. "Who sits on wet grass?" I laughed despite everything. He lit up a cigarette, taking a drag. "You ok? That was pretty explosive. Seems like you got a lot bottled up." His eyes searched mine, filled with worry.

"I'd say I'm fine but you'd know I was lying," I replied truthfully, shrugging. "I've been through stuff that no one should ever face, stuff that some people wouldn't live through. Certain things make me jumpy, you know?"

"Like what? You know I'm never gonna tell anyone. It might help to talk about it?" Skip was probably the man I was closest to, and right now, I certainly had nothing else to lose.

"My family died when we were 8. But they were murdered - an arson attack. I had three brothers, and when it became just me and Tash, we felt so alone. That attack, I always feel responsible - "

"You were 8 years old, T. How could it possibly have been your fault?"

"It just felt like it, I guess. The League took us in, and the training was brutal. Even though we were only young, they trained us like they did the others. As we got older, they'd use harsher tactics, but never without consent. That's where some of the scars come from, mainly my arms and legs. Then one day we had a mission that entailed us staying with a man and a woman. They were part of a regime killing kids, and they believed they'd adopted us from the centre - we were 16. It was the darkest period of my life. They'd abuse us, scar us, cut us, whip us, starve us. But we needed enough evidence, and when we got it, I'd never been more delighted in killing a person. What they put us through was enough to kill most people. The details aren't important right now, not all of them. But this one is. They'd abuse us sexually, expose us to certain situations. I can never bring myself to get close to people in a relationship context, because I am terrified it's gonna happen again. When people I don't know touch me, hug me, anything, even a damn handshake, I can only think back to what happened." Skip was silent, his face a mask of hurt, anger and pain.

"How could anyone do that to someone? How long ago was this?"

"Time isn't really a thing for us anymore, but technically, it was 3 years ago. We're 19 now." I glanced over at Muck, taking in what I'd just told him. "Thank you."

"For what? I just asked you to tell me the most painful thing I've ever heard," he said, his face full of guilt. I moved closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder. I felt safe with him.

"It helped. Telling someone. I'm glad I have the men. I don't know what I'd do, what Tash would do."

"I'm always here for you. We all are. Plus, Cobb will now become the butt of every prank and joke we ever do." I laughed, as Skip put his arm around my waist. I trusted these men with all my heart, and that was something rare for me. "You ok with my arm there?" Muck asked, suddenly aware of his position.

"The men from Easy Company, the ones I trust, are the only people that I will ever trust to touch me," I said sincerely, meaning every word. "We should probably go back in. Don't want them thinking we've eloped together," I joked.

"A boy can dream," Skip laughed. He stood up, taking my hand and pulling me off the ground. "They'll have taken care of Cobb," he said, still holding my hand as we walked towards the hut. _Not in the way I wish I could take care of him._ I squeezed his hand to show my appreciation, shooting him a tight smile as we stopped outside the barracks. I inhaled deeply, not realising how nervous I was. "Hey, no one thinks any less of you. You know that, right? We never would - you're one of us. Both of you are. If anything, your strength to carry on through stuff like that just makes you all the more a warrior queen. Come on, Boudicca - we all care about you." His eyes showed nothing but kindness, and the emotion I felt caught me off guard. _Jeez, you're getting soft._

"I shouldn't keep my Iceni tribe waiting," I shrugged, opening the door. A lot of the men were sleeping, but my closest friends were at my bunk, either sitting on the bunk of leaning against the wall. All of their eyes found mine, and I levelled my gaze, keeping my face passive.

"We thought you'd walked the length of Georgia," Luz joked.

"How can we function without our queen?" Guarnere laughed, coming up to me and embracing me. I returned his hug, enjoying the warmth.

"Even if she is a complete fucking hothead." I broke away from Bill and turned to face Tash. "Don't," she said as I went to apologize - not something I did often. "I get it, trust me, I do. And you're my sister, and everything we do, we support each other. So what, you got scars? Nobody cares. Not here, not now. We can start over." _She's right. _We have got a new chance here, a chance to be...ourselves. "Familia est aeternum, quia vita est sanguis." She quoted our saying, and I couldn't help but smile, putting my arm round her shoulder and turning to face the men.

"Y'all should probably go get some sleep," I offered with a small shrug.

"If I'm not mistaken, you have alcohol in your bags, and a great length of stories to tell. Dish some more facts, girlies," Web laughed, his blue eyes glistening. I bit my lip to stop my smile from getting too big, a mischievous glint entering my eyes.

"You want stories? Oh boy, you ain't getting any sleep tonight," Tash laughed.

"We weren't planning on it, doll," Toye husked, sending us a wink.

**Liebgott P.O.V**

I sat on the bunk with Toye, Guarnere, Muck and T, whilst the rest of them stood around. Every now and then, a trooper further down the hut would complain about the noise, only to be ignored or have Luz do a pretty good impersonation of them. But most of the time, my eyes were always on her, listening to the words she spoke. Something about her, her raw beauty almost captivated me. And I'm not one for love or romance. But then again, she didn't strike me as that type either. She had a rough edge; I liked that. Her London accent rang out, her light laugh filtering through the room every so often. Her hair was in braids again, though most of it still hung down onto her back, sleek and dark against her pale face. Her skin was smooth, although marked in some places through her tough life. A small scar was outlined against the top of her lip, and another went through her right eyebrow. Her blue eyes were icy , like the cold sky on a winter morning. She had several studs along each of her ears, and wore a ring on each finger. Her dog tags jangled whenever she moved, though it sounded like she had more than just hers on the chain. A small bracelet was the only thing adorning her right wrist. On a black tie, a small transparent stone was held in place, a small scorpion fossilised inside.

"Well, now you mention it, there was this one time," she laughed. "Ok, so imagine you're me, and I'm the enemy." She was talking to Toye, her palms resting on each side of his face.

"I could get used to this," he chuckled.

"So he sorta stood there, his hands on my face, and I thought 'Christ, he's gonna fucking kiss me'. And hell if I know what to do in _that _situation. I'm meant to be killing this dude, not becoming his girl!" Her laughter rang out, light but filling every sense I had. "And he leans in, like this," she said, getting closer to Toye, who clearly couldn't believe his luck. "Then, I strike," she stated, matter-of-factly, before turning Joe's head to the side, and placing a light kiss on his cheek. "Though I didn't kiss him, I broke his spine." Toye put his arm around her shoulder, hugging her close.

"As long as you ain't planning to kill me in my sleep, I don't mind how close you get," he joked, making the others laugh.

"What's with the scorpion?" I asked. Her gaze turned to me, her eyes dancing across my face, a light smile tugging at her lips.

"We used to have codenames for missions, and they sort of stuck I guess. Scorpion was mine, because the sign Scorpio is fiercely independent, and unyielding. And they say there's always more to them than meets the eye," she said, almost mysteriously.

"You cannot leave it at that! That is so unfair," Luz piped up.

"He's got a point," I said, sending her a wink. That made her smile.

"Well, you ain't finding out now. Go the fuck to sleep, goddammit. You got a fucking deathwish for tomorrow's workouts and drills?" Tash spoke up from her bunk, making the men and T laugh. T threw her jacket at her sister, who promptly flicked her the middle finger.

"Ah, she's got a point, lads. Also, I'm kinda terrified of both of you when you get mad," Malarkey said, shrugging.

"Yeah, I've had a long day, and my jaw is starting to be a pain in the ass." T stretched her jaw, the purple marks bolder now than before. The men said their goodnights, giving T some kind wink or nod or hug. I finally got off of her bunk, stretching out the kinks in my back from sitting for so long.

"Night, T-Bird." I shot her a wink and a smirk.

"That name better not stick, I swear I will kill you," she laughed. I looked at her jaw again, the marks made by Sobel now clearly visible. My stance must have shifted, because she felt it. "You ok?" She placed a hand on my arm, her touch cool.

"Yeah, it just makes me mad that Sobel thinks he has the right to grab you like that."

"People have done worse," she said lightly, pulling me into a hug, although I could tell it was more than just a joke. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Caring." She pulled out of the hug, looking me in the eye. "My whole life has been spent with people, bar Tash, who have never cared, never wanted me. It's just nice to have people to be with." Her openness came at a cost of her looking vulnerable. That's what she thought, anyway. But it made me admire her more - her strength to be honest after whatever has happened to her.

"You are stuck with all of us now. Better get used to us, we're going nowhere fast," I winked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Good." She placed her hand on mine, smiling. "Don't think I'd want it any other way."

"If he does this again," I said, taking her chin between my finger and thumb. "I will kill him. We all will." I took my hand away, gently brushing her cheek.

"I know." She planted a small kiss on my cheek. "Night, Lieb." Her eyes caught mine one last time, before she turned away, both of us going to our bunks. Something about that girl made me question my thoughts. _I wonder if she does the same. _

**T's P.O.V**

I lay there, not sure how to think of Liebgott's show of care. Was he just concerned, like the other men, or did he think...differently...about me. _Who you tryna kid? You're just a random girl, thrown into the lives of all of these men. He just wants to protect you, they all do. _I sighed, before turning over and resigning myself to a night filled with tormenting dreams.

The next morning, we were stood in the doorway of a pretend plane, practicing the jump technique. Tash and I had jumped several times before, once into Russia and twice into South Africa. The second jump into Johannesburg was a particularly nasty fight, almost costing both our lives.

"No, sir." Smokey's words brought me back to reality, and I realised it was my turn to jump. Sobel gave me a look of complete loathing.

"Zhukavitch, why are you still here?" _Here we go._

"Sir?" I had no idea what he was getting at.

"Colonel Sink wants to see you in his office right now. You were told that this morning before this exercise." His eyes glared into mine, nothing but accusation written all over his face.

"I was never told, sir." It was true - no one had come to see me.

"I sent a runner."

"Sir, I received no word." My words were becoming more pronounced as I met his unwavering gaze.

"Get out the damn door and report straight to Sink's office. Both of you." He turned his gaze to Tash, standing behind me, before yelling about two inches away from my face. "Go!" I jumped, the execution having no faults, and Tash followed suite. Without so much as a salute, I turned and began walking towards Sink's office. Tash walked next to me, unusually quiet.

"What's got you eating your insides?" I asked, tapping her on the arm, drawing her from her thoughts.

"Nothing."

"I have been with you practically everyday of my life for 19 years. I can tell you're lying from a mile away." I raised an eyebrow, and she sighed in defeat.

"Ok, so last night, after everything happened, I took a walk. Who should see me but Sobel, and he comes up to me. There I am, thinking I'm in deep shit, and all he says is 'evening, Natasha'."

"Natasha?! He called you Natasha?" I'd never been more confused in my life.

"But it gets better. He stands there, you know, waiting for me to respond, and so we end up talking. By this point, I dunno if he's prying, or if he's wanting to talk. Anyway, I'm not giving much away, but out of nowhere he says 'you're quite a rare thing'. He starts talking about beauty and such and I have no idea where it's going. Before I can respond, he turns and walks off." She shrugged, her eyes confused.

"Oh my fucking god!" I exclaimed, smacking her arm. "Sobel is into you! Holy fuck, this is gold! Sweet Christ this is fucking brilliant." I couldn't contain my laughter, practically doubled over.

"This isn't funny!" Tash said. "What do I do?" Before I could respond, a pair of foot steps jogged up behind us, and I turned to see Lip. He looked at Tash, puzzled by the laughter, who just shrugged.

"Sobel sent me to make sure you got to Sink's office. I don't mind the distraction," he smiled. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Lip asked me. I nodded, and Tash walked on ahead.

"What's up, Lip?"

"I heard about the incident with Cobb last night. You ok?" He stopped walking, and I turned to face him.

"Honestly, the men are making me feel better than I have done in years. They don't hate what we are, what we've done. They accept us. So yeah, I'm fine. And for once, I mean it."

"If you ever need anything, let me know. You two are worth more than how Sobel treats you." He smiled sadly. This man could literally do nothing wrong - he made any situation seem better. I admired Carwood Lipton a lot. _He has to see, to know. _Of all the people who deserved to know what my body hid, he was first. To care for us so much and not even know what he was protecting wasn't fair.

"I need to show you something. In here," I motioned, stepping into an empty hut. He closed the door behind him, knowing what I was about to do.

"You don't have to -"

"Out of everyone, you deserve to know," I cut him off. I placed my jacket and pack on the nearest bunk. Before lifting my shirt to reveal the scars.

"Christ, T. You got them anywhere else?" His eyes found mine, filled with pity. I turned to show him my back. "My god, how could anyone do this?"

"That's what Skip said too." I lowered my shirt, and Lip grabbed my hands.

"Whatever you've done, whatever hell you've experienced, no one deserves this. You are the bravest person I know, and I'll be damned if anyone like Sobel takes advantage of that." He pulled me into a hug. _Been a lot of that recently. _"Better get going before Sink thinks we got lost." I grabbed by jacket and pack, slinging it on, and made my way to Sink's office.

* * *

"You girls have settled in quite nicely. I've been hearing a lot of good things about you. Winters and Nixon feel you'd be a damn fine addition to Easy Company, and Sgt. Lipton can't praise you enough. Seems the only man with an issue is Lt. Sobel. That man is a good leader, no matter that he may be a little rough on the men. I will let you into Easy with one condition - you respect Sobel, regardless of what he throws at you. He only means well." _He's got a funny way of showing it._ "Welcome to Easy, Pvt. Zhukavitch. Both of you." He extended his hand, a smile spread on his face.

"Thank you, sir. You won't regret this. We will deliver our best." I hadn't seen Tash this happy for a long time. It made me smile, as I shook Sink's hand, giving him a nod.

"Pvt. Smith will have a uniform for you, including dress greens and your ODs. Pleased to have you on board, girls." As he took as seat, we saluted and left his office. The same private from last time we were here was holding a folded bundle of clothes. He looked less nervous, but still looked pretty het up.

"Relax, kid. We don't bite," Tash said kindly, grabbing the top pile.

"Speak for yourself," I joked, taking the remainder of the clothes. He looked increasingly uncomfortable, and I almost felt bad. Taking a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, he flinched, probably expecting a knife to fly at him again. I handed him the pack, giving him a quick wink.

"Thank you, m'am."

"M'am? We're both privates - no need for formalities. It's just T and Tash," my sister said. I sent him a nod and a smile, which he returned. Stepping outside, the men of Easy Company were returning from their jump training, just in time to catch us coming out of the office.

"How'd it go? You in?" Mal was first to us.

"No, we just really like holding our uniform," I responded, winking at him. He took the bundle from my arms, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey, lads! We got ourselves a couple of warrior queens!" Don called out to the rest of the men.

"Get your asses over here and give your tribe some lovin'," Luz shouted. I ran over to him, throwing my arms around him as he laughed. "Way to go, doll. Can't wait to see you in that PT gear," he winked. I laughed as I smacked him on the arm and he feigned hurt. In the meantime, some of the others had taken Tash's stuff and were heading to the hut. George wrapped his arm round my waist, and I did the same to him as we walked towards the barracks. "I'm pleased for you, really, I am. Having you two around really makes our day, you know?"

"George Luz, are you getting soppy on me?" He shot me his infamous grin, as we stepped inside. I walked to my bunk, several men calling their congratulations.

"Mon cherie, you deserve this." I turned to Gene, his face sincere. "Now don't make me have to patch you up, alright?" I laughed as he wrapped his arms around me. "That's what I meant to ask you," he said as we pulled apart. "How did you and Tash cope with injury when it was just you two out on a mission?"

"We're both trained medically," I explained. "Though I've been told I'm not the gentlest of nurses."

"Now that I believe, amoureux," he smiled. As I reached my bunk, my new kit had already been placed on my bed, a footlocker now at the end of my bed.

"Heads up, Dicca, PT gear in 10," Toye said, walking over. "Where you guys gonna get changed?" A small smile played at his lips, but his eyes showed actual intrigue.

"That, my love, is a very good question." I had no idea. The showers were constantly in use when different companies were on different shifts, and the nurses quarters weren't exactly welcoming. "I haven't got a clue, Joe."

"We could chuck up some blankets in the corner, rig them with some string?" Tash offered.

"You're full of good ideas, doll," Toye said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Liebgott, Martin, grab them blankets." They raised an eyebrow at him, but did as he said.

"You cold or something, Joe?" Martin joked.

"Our resident women have nowhere to change, and wise crack here decided to rig some blankets up with string," Toye explained.

"She got the brains of the family, T?" Lieb smiled.

"You could say that," I laughed. I grabbed my bag, pulling out a length of wire.

"Who carries wire around with them? You planning to build a telephone line?" Martin said, his face amused.

"Well, normally, this would be used to kill someone quietly from behind, by strangling the air from their throats. But obviously raising blankets is a much more passive idea."

"She hung someone with it once," Tash said matter-of-factly. The men each had a differing look of mild amazement.

"Christ, remind me not to annoy you," Martin winked.

* * *

"I hate it. These shorts are too short, Tash, I am not doing this." Luckily, my leg scars weren't hugely bad, but I just hated the outfit.

"T, come on. We have two minutes. Stop fussing." With a huff, I came out from the curtain Lieb and Martin had made. "There is nothing wrong with it! You look fine, trust me." Tash always managed to look good - even in PT gear she could win a beauty competition. She grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hut. She stopped as we got to the door, and gave me a puzzled look as I started to laugh. "What?"

"You know who's gonna love your shorts?"

"Oh, no. No you do not. Do not say it."

"Sobel is gonna dig those so badly," I managed to get out between laughter.

"You're a dick." She scowled at me.

"I try my best, darling sister." I winked at her, before exiting the hut.

**Liebgott's P.O.V**

"I dated this girl one, who had the best pair of legs you've ever seen. Endless they were, I'm telling you," Tab was going on.

"Without any proof, it never happened, Floyd," Bull said smiling.

"Jeez, come on guys. I'm telling you, her legs were unmatchable to anyone."

"Anyone except those two," Luz said, his jaw practically hitting the floor. I turned, and saw exactly what he was talking about. Tash and T had just come out the hut, T laughing at an annoyed looking Nat. "Christ, those two are rare beauties. We are one lucky group of men." George's smile was from ear to ear.

"Hey, don't make it obvious. Jeez, Luz, you got any shame?" Bull questioned, only half joking. As they were getting nearer, their conversation drifted towards us.

"Oh, Lt. Sobel, how kind of you to notice my shorts. They're new, you know." I had no idea what T was chatting about, but whatever it was apparently hilarious to her - less so to Tash.

"Shut the fuck up, I swear to god, T."

"But Nat, you're ass looks so amazing, please climb that wall whilst I stand and make sure you don't fall." She burst into another fit of laughter, as her sister shoved her.

"You're like a fucking child, you know that? Moron."

"Now, now girls, keep it friendly." They were near enough now for George to grab their conversation. He laughed, and stood between them, putting an arm around each. "But she is right, you're ass looks pretty good from where I'm standing." Tash gave him a dig in the ribs, before rolling her eyes. And as good as Tash looked, T was the only thing I could focus on. Her legs were toned and sleek, her tattoos adding that edge that made her so desirable. A few scars adorned each leg, but none like her body scars. Her white shirt hung from her slim frame, just tight enough to make her look the woman she was.

"Sobel is gonna rip into you," Tab said worriedly. T started to laugh again, earning a raised eyebrow from Floyd.

"Maybe I gotta fill you in on a couple of things, lads," she eventually replied when she'd recovered.

"No you do not!" T ducked her sisters clip round the back of her head, and so Tash hit George instead.

"What was that for?" He faked hurt, making us laugh.

"Don't take it out on my Georgie." T grabbed George, hugging him closer.

"What you gotta tell us?" Bull asked, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, we gotta know now," Tab added. Tash sighed in defeat, and gave her sister the nod.

"SOBEL FANCIES TASH!" She yelled it so loud, Luz had to clamp a hand on her mouth as she laughed. Tash came to stand next to me, and I out my arm around her shoulders.

"You're sister is crazy." I glanced down at Nat, and she smiled back.

"She's a complete nutjob. We were always in trouble as kids, christ, some of the things she did," Tash laughed.

"Ok, ok I promise not to shout again," T said, smiling at Luz. "Ok, huddle up people." Bull, Tab, T, Tash, Luz and me stood in a small circle, probably looking completely suspicious. "Right. So, Tash tells me, the other night, she went out for a walk. Guess who she sees? He starts talking to her, and ends up calling her 'quite a rare thing'. He even called her Nat." She barely got the last part of the sentence out before bursting into another fit of laughter.

"Holy shit." Bull's eyes were wide in amusement.

"Christ. You're up for a great time on that obstacle course today, Tash," I winked at her. Before anyone else could say anything, Lip called out.

"Easy Company, listen up! Double time over to the start of the course, and stand in PT formation. Move it out!"


	6. Ma Princesse de Dieu

"For fuck sake, Skip!" I yelled as he tripped over the netting, bringing me down with him. Before he got a chance to reply, Sobel was already on the case as we jumped to our feet and continued the ropes.

"Private Zhukavitch! You will be running this course again once you have finished, and this time, you will not be tripping over! Do I make myself clear?" _God, I hate this man._

"Sir, I - " Muck started speaking between breaths, but Sobel cut him off.

"Do I make myself clear, Zhukavitch?"

"Yes, sir!" I replied through gritted teeth. Guarnere went down in front of me, but I jumped over him, towards the crates. I'd managed to level with the front runners, Tash not too far behind. Rolling out the box, we came to the wall, with Sobel standing beneath it.

"To the wall, to the wall! Over as a team! Come on! Get to the wall!" Winters yelled encouragement, spurring the men on. I jumped, grabbing the top of the wall, hauling myself up and over, Tash by my side. I glanced down fleetingly, catching Sobel staring straight up - straight up at Tash's ass. I bit my lip to stop myself laughing, but it was too late; Sobel had seen me catch him, and he turned away quickly, turning a shade of red I never knew existed.

* * *

Everyone finished the course, me and Tash amongst the first. We were covered in dirt, blood and pig guts, and we watched as the final men crossed the finishing line.

"If you want to be a paratrooper, you need to be better than your best! If you fail to get a quicker time than the one you just achieved next time you run the course, you will repeat it until you do!" Sobel's eyes swept across the company, and landed firmly on me. _I swear he's smirking._ "Zhukavitch! Go back to the start of the course, and repeat the entire thing. You fell at the first hurdle, despite the claims you have of being so athletic!"

"Permission to speak, sir!" Muck piped up. Sobel's gaze pierced into Skip's eyes.

"Permission granted." _Jeez, that's a new one._

"With all due respect sir, it was my fault that she fell." Without so much as blinking, Sobel responded.

"Trooper, you will not do the course again! Zhukavitch has _experience _with obstacles, you do not. She should not have fallen when she did." Turning his gaze back to me, his eyes were filled with a hateful glee. He marched towards me, inches from my face. I looked him dead in the eye. "Fall out!" He yelled so loud Perco jumped from four men away. With an almost indignant manner, I turned on my heel, marching from the ranks towards the beginning of the course.

* * *

Little did I know I'd still be out there 3 hours later, finishing my final run. Sobel had pushed me, trying to break me, but he wasn't getting that satisfaction.

"Zhukavitch, believe me when I say that I will not tolerate bad soldiers in my company. You will not make any more mistakes, am I clear?" He wasn't even bothering to look me in the eye, glancing somewhere towards Currahee.

"Yes, sir," I replied, as upbeat as I could be in that moment.

"Fall out." With that, he walked off, not even sparing me a second glance. My gaze pierced his back, and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to shoot an arrow right between his shoulder blades. As I trudged back to the barracks, Skip was waiting outside. As soon as he saw me, he jumped up.

"Shit, T. I am so sorry. I didn't know - " Apologies spilled from his mouth.

"Hey, Skip, it's fine. He doesn't bother me, I've dealt with men far worse," I cut him off.

"I know, but you don't deserve _this. _You know why he punishes you? He's scared of you. The moment you two ended up in that field, weapons and blood aplenty, the look on his face was priceless. Hell, I though he was gonna throw up!" I laughed with him, imagining Sobel puking everywhere. _That is strangely satisfying. _"Let's get you cleaned up, princess. Got some nice OD's for you to get into. Tash wouldn't get into hers until you came back, leaving us all to wait to see how good they can really look." He winked, and I shook my head, a smile on my face. As we stepped into the hut, the men rallied round.

"That son of a bitch! How many time did you do that course, T?" Toye was the first up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder, a look of death in his eyes.

"Relax, Joe. Nothing I can't handle, right?" I smiled at him, all be it tiredly.

"Yeah, well Sobel's a prick whatever. Don't matter who it is, shouldn't have them running that course more than they need to," Martin piped up from the corner.

"Guys, chill. I'm fine. Ok, I'm covered in dirt, blood, pig guts, sweat and god knows what else. Sure, my legs hurt, and I really need a shower. But honestly, I'm fine."

"You look like shit and you smell even worse, sis."Tash got off her bunk, smiling. "Trust me lads, if anyone can look after themselves, it's this one right here." She chucked an arm around my shoulder. "We have some new clothes to try on anyway, so let's hit the showers, ok?"

"What if someone comes in?" Perco questioned. He had a point. "You want us to come with you, stand outside? Or inside." The little Italian's face smiled cheekily, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Not a bad shout, Perc. Maybe a couple of you should accompany us. And stand _outside_."

"Way ahead of ya, Dicca," George said, picking my clothes off my bed, as Frank took Tash's.

"Guys, we're not invalids, we can carry our own clothes," Tash laughed.

"All part of the service, m'lady," Luz said in a London accent, making me laugh again.

"Lemme have a cigarette first though. Think I deserve one."

"I'll join you for that cigarette, Dicca," Liebgott sounded, joining us at the door. He put his arm round my waist as we walked out the hut.

"Me and Frank are gonna go clear out the showers, make sure you two ladies got all the time you need." George sent me a friendly wink.

"I might as well go with you. I don't smoke," Tash said, shooting me her infamous 'that's bad for you' look.

"Sis, the best things in life are bad for you," I smiled. Shaking her head, she linked arms with Perc and Luz, walking with them to the showers.

"Need a light?" Lieb asked, as I once again was patting myself down for my lighter.

"I haven't got a fucking clue where mine has gone," I said, as Joe lit my cigarette. "Cheers." I let the smoke drift out my mouth, before inhaling it up my nose, making the smoke look like an upward waterfall.

"Jesus," Joe said, almost to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing," he shrugged, looking at me.

"Joe, what? Don't make me torture it out of you," I laughed. He exhaled a plume of smoke, before sighing.

"I just think that when a girl smokes, it adds an extra something, you know?" His brown eyes found my blue ones, a smirk on his lips.

"Like what?" I asked incredulously.

"Come on, Dicca. You must know that that smoke thing looks good. Like, really good," he stated, like I should know that.

"It's just smoke, Lieb. Ain't nothing sexy about that," I said as we started to walk towards the showers.

"Depends who the smoke's coming from," he said, smiling at me, his eyes mischievous.

"Joseph Liebgott, are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Are you complaining?" he asked only half joking, putting an arm around my shoulder. Before we got within the hearing range of Perco and Luz, I stopped, looking Lieb in the eye.

"Nope. In fact, I was rather enjoying it." I winked at him, smiling. He smirked back at me, placing his hand on the small of my back. _That should not feel as good as it does. _I swear I had goosebumps.

"We were beginning to think you two had done a runner!" Luz shouted as we began to walk again.

"Sorry to disappoint, Georgie. I'm still here," I laughed. By now we were standing in front of Frank and Luz, just outside the door. "Thanks guys. I won't be long. Anyone tries to come in, break their nose for me, yeah?" I smiled at the three men, before opening the door. There was a small area to my right, no more than the size of two footlockers, where our OD's had been placed, and a pile on the floor where we had to put our dirty PT gear. A shower at the far end was on, telling me Tash was already almost done. Glancing round the room to make sure it was just us two, I stepped into one of the showers. It wasn't much - a thin sheet of metal on either side to protect from the neighbouring man that didn't reach the floor or the roof. I stripped out of my old gear, glad to be rid of the now stinking clothes. I turned on the water, not expecting the warm water to feel quite as good as it did. As it ran over my body, the water at my feet turned red and muddy, as the days toil fell from my body. My muscles relaxed, and the water ran over my scars, making them appear smooth and shiny under the pure liquid. I tilted my head up towards the stream of water, letting it caress my face, wiping clean the strain of the day. I stood there for probably around 5 minutes, just letting it soak into me, not knowing when this little luxury would be available again. After the 5 minutes, I decided to get out, not wanting to waste the boys' time. Turning off the water, I could still hear Tash's shower running. _She always was the primadonna _I joked to myself. Grabbing a spare towel from the wooden shelf in the corner, I wrapped it around my body, it's scratchy fabric providing a strange sense of security. I rung out my hair, which now hung heavy and darker against my pale skin. I slipped on the underwear I'd stashed in between the clothes - a plain black bra and a pair of girl's boxers. _Whoever says these aren't the most comfortable damn things in the world is fucking dumb. _Next, I put on the OD's. They were a little tighter than I'd have liked, but complaining wasn't really an option to me, considering what Sink had just offered us. My hair hung wet against my new clothes, but it didn't bother me - the Toccoa heat would probably dry my hair by the time we reached the barracks. I heard Tash's shower switch off.

"Hey, Nat! I'm gonna wait outside with the guys!" I called out to her.

"Yeah, sure!"

I exited the shower hut, now in my fresh clothes.

**Liebgott's P.O.V**

"Woah, Boudicca! Warrior queens look great with wet hair!" Luz exclaimed. I turned to see T coming out of the shower block, her dark hair wet around her now clean face. And she looked good.

"They can also make OD's look wearable," Perconte said, winking at her. He was right. She somehow managed to make a set of green clothes look attractive.

"They're kinda tight to be honest," she said, her eyebrows knitting together as she looked down at the floor.

"Ain't no-one complaining about that, T." I winked at her, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Jeez, you guys are gonna be the death of me," she said, rolling her eyes. The door to the showers opened, and Nat stepped out, looking almost as good as her sister.

"Christ, you two are gonna be the death of the _men_," Luz laughed.

"I'm heading back to barracks. Anyone coming?" Tash asked, a light breeze blowing her hair.

"Sure, I gotta polish my boots anyway," Perco said, as Nat put her arm around his shoulders. She wasn't as tall as her sister, almost the same size as Perc.

"Yeah, I gotta sort out these damn pants - the stitchings gone crazy," Luz said, pulling at some strings on his trousers. "You coming, T?"

"Think I'm gonna stay in the fresh air for a bit longer. Might go on a walk around camp," she shrugged.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

"Who do you think's gonna be lighting my cigarettes?" she joked. "Oh, Nat, when you get back, can you leave the books in my bag out on my bed? I need to remind myself I gotta talk to Web."

"No problem. See you in a bit," Tash nodded.

"Later, T-Bird," George laughed, as Perco sent a nod to T. As they turned away, she punched me in the arm.

"What was that for?" I questioned, laughing at her fake annoyance.

"You know why," she said, as she turned to walk. I followed her, smirking.

"Come on, T-Bird, it's not that bad of a nickname," I laughed, raising my arms in defence as she turned to glare at me.

**T's P.O.V**

"Lieb, I will kill you." I tried sounding serious, but ended up laughing.

"Ok, T-Bird." His smile lit up his face.

"Screw you, jerk." I started laughing again, then continued walking past the huts lined up on either side. Lieb walked beside me, his arm around my shoulder, almost protectively. There were a few other men wondering around, but none payed too much attention to me. The reapings were old news now. Lieb pulled two cigarettes out his pack, put them both in his mouth and lit them. He handed one to me. "Thanks."

"So, if you and Tash come from the future, you know what happens with the war, right?" Joe asked curiously.

"You'd think so, but no," I shrugged. "They do something to you, that as soon as you enter your destination, anything you know about that time that could influence history too much is erased from your memory. All I know is World War 2 is happening, Hitler's a dick who invaded Poland and the US joined after Pearl Harbour." I took a drag of my cigarette, inhaling deeply, then exhaling though my nose.

"Maybe that's better, though. You don't know what's coming, so you can't be scared of the outcome," Lieb suggested. I looked up at his face, smiling softly. "What?"

"I just didn't expect such a deep response. But you're right. Anyway, whatever lies ahead is a dream compared to the nightmares I've lived." That sentence had become as familiar to me as my own name. Nothing I ever faced would be as bad as what I'd already faced. We continued walking in silence, but a comfortable one. As we neared the end of the huts, I went to sit down on the edge of a step. Lieb sat next to me, his arm around my waist. Not once did it feel uncomfortable, or make me feel vulnerable.

"You seem more affected by your past than Tash." It wasn't a question, or an accusation. It was just a simple statement. I sighed, throwing the end of my cigarette into the grass beyond, before repositioning myself to lay on my back, my head in Lieb's lap looking up, my feet resting on a small post sticking out of the ground.

"I have my reasons." I smiled up at him sadly, and he started playing with my damp hair.

"Sometimes, the look in your eyes is one of the saddest things I've ever seen. Other times, it's a pure anger. And sometimes it's just hurt. To feel like that, the things that have happened to you must have stripped away a lot of you." His words were something I never expected from someone like him. _How does he know me so well?_

"Things have happened. I felt responsible for my family dying, and everyone told me it wasn't my fault. Sure, I was 8, but I knew. And I wasn't there. I grew up, hating everything, everyone besides Tash. Killing people became my life. There was nothing else to it. Emotions became a hindrance, feeling anything but hate just got in the way. Then one day, something occurred that changed me forever. Something that made me want to die more than I ever thought possible." I absent mindedly thumbed the thick scars running across each wrist, not realising I was doing it until Joe took my hands, stroking the scars. Every nerve told me to pull away, but for some reason, here, now, my head resting on his lap, it just felt...right.

"You tried killing yourself." Once again, it was just a statement, no undertones or resentment.

"Yeah. I think I knew deep down that if I died, Tash would truly be alone, which is why I guess it didn't work. And everyday, I hate myself for even thinking of leaving her." My face must have portrayed something I couldn't feel, because Lieb placed his hand on my cheek, his thumb going over a section of barely visible scars.

"Don't. Don't hate yourself. You had a reason. And in the end, you put your sister in front of yourself, in front of a desire to finally have peace. To me, that shows the strongest, hardest thing to do." I sat up, resting my head against his shoulder, his arm back around my waist, while his free hand still played with my hair.

"Lieb, what if I never get to a stage when I can accept that, though?" I sighed.

"I'll help you." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But why? I just fell from a random place, crashing into your world. You don't owe me anything." His hand came to rest under my chin.

"Because you're still a human being." His eyes seemed to gaze into my soul, in a way that made me feel safer than I'd ever felt. I was torn from my thoughts when a voice broke the silence.

"So the bitch is still here. I don't know how you still have the front to parade around here." I stood up, turning to the voice, to find it was the guy I'd tripped over a few days ago, the one goading Easy. He was surrounded by a few of the men from his company, all looking at me like I was nothing more than a slab of meat.

"Who the fuck are you?" Lieb asked, standing next to me.

"Come on, man. I can see your game - you're one lucky dude. Act like you care, get the girl, do the deed, then leave. What we wouldn't give to be in your shoes." The men around him laughed.

"Why don't you back the fuck off, you ain't got a clue." By now, Lieb was up in his face, his fists flexing.

"Or what, _jew_," he spat at Lieb. _Oh boy, that was 100% the wrong thing to say. _Almost immediately, Joe's fist collided with the side of his face, knocking him sideways. Two of the other men, went to grab Joe, but I got to them first, taking their legs out from underneath them in one swift motion. By now, Lieb and the other man were too engrossed in their own battle to realise what was going on around them. A movement to my right caught my attention, but by the time I realised it was only a passing truck, it was too late - my focus had been distracted. Of the three still on their feet, one grabbed my arms, pulling them behind my back. _Christ, he is damn strong. _I fought against his grip, but his iron hold wouldn't budge. The other two lunged at me, throwing punches anywhere they thought they could land them. But I ducked out the way, and instead, one landed a punch on his fellow attackers jaw. It was enough for him to loosen his grip, so I took my chance, ripping free of his arms, smacking my head upwards, into his nose. One grabbed me by the collar, and his grip ripped the front of my ODs, exposing my flesh, scars and all. His face registered a mixture of shock and confusion, and I used that opportunity to tackle him to the ground. He swung round, so he was on top of me, scratching at my face and landing punches on my body. And in that moment, I froze. I couldn't move, because this was all way too familiar. The bulky masculine figure, raining down punches, opening up wounds. The weight of him on my body, the silhouette outlined against the sky. And in an instant, he was gone. To be replaced by George.

"T, it's me. It's George." His face portrayed nothing but worry and concern. Feeling like I was in a dream, or nightmare, I got to my feet, everything seeming to float around me. George gripping my by my arms bought me back to my senses. "T, christ. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, George." My eyes found his, and I gave him a small, tight smile. I looked around, to see Lieb, Guarnere, Martin and Penk finishing off the job. As I saw the one that was on top of me start to run, something clicked inside of me. Something that felt all to familiar. Something I thought I'd managed to close off. The hatred. The hatred that ran so deeply within my veins flooded back, filling every sense, every nerve, every fibre of my being. Without hesitating, I whipped a dagger out from under my belt, releasing it with a solid flick of my wrist. Immediately, he went down. Everyone stopped what they were doing. No one moved. The fighting stopped, and as I walked towards the fallen man, my voice turned to venom. I ripped the blade from his arm, grabbing him and shoving him up against a barrack wall. "You ever touch me again, or even fucking look at me, I swear to you, I will rip your spine out through your fucking stomach. You think I'm kidding, go ahead, try me. But I'm warning you, I won't hesitate to kill you." He nodded, a terrified nod, his eyes wide in fear.

"Y-yeah. I-it was his idea." He pointed at the one Lieb had in his grip, before running back to wherever he came from. Fixing him with a stare that could have killed if looks could, I levelled my gaze to his.

"If you know what's good for you, you'd leave right now." I held his gaze, unwavering, unblinking. Without a word, he scrambled back to his feet, running off. The others had already dispersed, and it remained just me, Luz, Bill, Johnny, Alex and Lieb. All the adrenaline now out of my system, I came to the realisation of what had happened. _You can never be yourself. _Something would always happen to make my life back to the way it was. I swallowed, mulling over my thoughts. "If that wasn't a ticket out of Easy, I don't know what is." I smiled sadly.

"If you think we'd let that happen, you're an idiot." George came over, embracing me, his arms offering security. As I hugged him back, Joe's eyes were on mine, and he gave me a small nod, and wink.

"We'll go get Doc Roe, T," Martin said, his face concerned. Penk gave me a smile, and Luz broke away from the hug.

"Try not to kill anything," Guarnere joked gently. "George, why don't you stay with her?"

"I ain't going nowhere, Dicca." He took my hand, as the others began walking. "What happened back there? I saw something...change." He turned to face me.

"Something triggered. A memory. It just all came back, all as vivid as the day it happened." My breathing had started to become erratic, and I felt myself panicking, but once I started to talk, I couldn't stop. "It was as clear as the day it happened. He had his face, everything about him was the same. The punches, the scratching, the weight. I thought I'd got rid of all that, I thought I'd gotten over it, George, I thought everything would be fine, I thought I could cope, I-"

"Hey, hey. Talia, look at me." George put his hands on the side of my face; I was shaking so hard, my teeth had started chattering together. "Talia, calm down. We ain't never gonna let anyone hurt you, either of you. What happened right there, that won't happen again. We won't let it." I focussed on his face, letting his words sink in.

"George, I don't know if I can do this. I haven't lived a normal life for 11 years. How can I get out of those habits? Always looking over my shoulder, always finding it hard to trust everyone, always feeling a hate stronger than anything I've ever felt?"

"Because you have me, you have Easy Company. You have your sister."

"Sorry, Georgie. Certain things just trigger certain reactions." I sighed, whether in defeat or in relief, I don't know.

"Ma princesse de dieu, I thought I told you not to make me have to patch you up," Roe said as he jogged over. "I'm gonna have to take her from you George, get her patched up in the med room."

"Behave yourself now, Boudicca. Can't leave an unruly tribe by themselves for too long." Luz sent me a wink before he made his way back to the barracks.

"Come on, mon cherie. Don't want Sobel to see your face all bloody and bruised."

* * *

As we stepped into the hut, two nurses stopped talking to turn around and stare. They didn't say a word, just gawped. And I wasn't in the mood to be gawped at.

"Pictures generally last longer. You wanna take one?" I asked sarcastically.

"We, er, we were just leaving," the skinnier one said, before they both scampered off out the hut.

"What are we gonna do with you? Can't leave you alone for five minutes. Come sit down here." Gene pointed to a small stool by the low table, filled with scalpels and needles and tubes.

"I'm sorry, Gene. It just kinda happened." I shrugged.

"Ain't no need to apologise to me, beau," Gene replied. He took my face between his thumb and finger, turning my head to the side. He breathed in sharply. "This one's gonna need stitches, the others just a clean up and some tape." As he worked on cleaning the cuts, he worked in silence.

"What made you become a medic?" I wanted to know.

"Nothing. They chose me. Not sure why?" He leaned to the table to grab a needle and thread.

"You have a gentle touch. You're a good medic," I smiled gently.

"My nan was a Cajun healer. Must run in the family." He smiled back at me, as he started to thread the needle through my cheek. I clenched my jaw as the sharp pain shot through my cheek. "Relax, cherie, we're almost done." I stayed quiet for the next few minutes, whilst the pain subsided. "And we're done. You're a better patient than I thought you'd be," he laughed. I smiled at him, feeling the tightness in my cheek from my new stitches.

"Cheers, Doc. What's Sink gonna say?" I'd forgotten about him, and my eyebrows knitted together. I stood up, and Gene levelled his gaze to mine. He took both my hands in one of his.

"Talia, Sink can't possibly do anything bad to you over this. That guy attacked you - it was self defence. And almost every man in Easy will tell him that too. You can't get away from us that easily." His kind eyes reflected that his words spoke truth.

"Better go face the music. But before we do, you got a mirror in here?"

"Yeah, it's by the door." He pointed at a dirty reflective pane, almost hidden behind the door. I walked over to it, not too sure what to expect. As my reflection came into view, I gasped. "You ok?" Gene stood next to me, his hand on my shoulder.

"I, er, yeah. Yeah, I'm good." The worst cut spread across my cheek, and other than that, the other bruises and cuts weren't too bad. Not by the standards I'd received. But once again, it was all too familiar. The way the deep purple spread across my features, the small scratches by my eyes, the redness after a fight. _I could be back in that room, back where everything turned to hell. _Why did I ever think I could live a normal life? How could I let myself have become so naive? And out of nowhere, I felt a hotness in the back of my eyes. A hotness I hadn't felt since the day my family died; not like this. As I looked at Gene in the mirror, a single tear slid down my cheek.

"Hey, hey, mon cherie. What's wrong?" Roe turned me to face him, both hands on my shoulders. I hated crying. I hated looking so...open. Angrily, I wiped away the offending drop, hurting my face in the process, but not caring.

"It's nothing, Gene. I'm just having a bad day. Reality is starting to set in again I guess," I shrugged, blinking away any other tears that threatened to fall.

"Don't lie to me, Talia." His voice almost sounded hurt. As I looked at Gene, his eyes trained on mine, I swallowed, and decided the only thing I could do was tell the truth. _Or at least part of it. _

**Liebgott's **

"What happened to her? I mean, really, what physical events happened." Tash was frantic, grabbing onto my arms. Her eyes were filled with panic, and I knew something bad had happened like this before.

"He, er, he was on top of her, hitting her. She sorta froze. Then before he left, something changed about her." Even recalling the event made me angry.

"She looked...I don't know...emotionless. Her eyes almost glazed over, completely cold. She changed." George spoke up, having been the one closest to her at the time.

"Shit." Tash turned around, running a hand through her hair and breathing out exasperatedly.

"What? Why is this so bad?" Perco had somehow managed to join the conversation, and I turned to see that more than Frank had joined. The men who were actually there had now been joined by Muck, Mal, Web and Toye, as well as Perc. Tash looked torn as to whether she should tell us, her face a picture of decisions. After what seemed like forever, she sighed.

"Something happened. A while back. Just like this, the events, the description - it parallels in a lot of ways, minus a few details. And last time it happened, T shut down completely. She actually scared me. I thought I'd lost her. I tried everything to bring her back, but eventually, she came around in her own time." Her eyes threatened tears.

"How long did it take her?" Toye asked the question we all wanted to know. A single tear rolled down Tash's cheek.

"Two and a half years."


	7. They Are Family

**Liebgott's P.O.V**

_Two and a half years. _I mulled it over in my head, thinking of the way T changed, the way she showed no emotion but pure...hatred.

"How long ago was this?" Web asked, the concern in his voice evident.

"I got her back a few months before we landed here. I thought this would change things. I thought they'd be different." Tash answered, sighing heavily.

"I mean, she seemed shaken, but apart from that, she was still herself when I left her with the Doc," George said.

"Maybe she won't be as bad this time?" Shifty offered from his bunk. "She'll have all of us to help her."

"To help who?" At that moment, T appeared in the door; I hadn't even heard her come in. A collective intake of breath flooded the room as the men took in her injuries. Her right cheek was deeply marked, a few stitches outlining her jaw; scratches marked scarlet over her pure skin, and bruises shone purple, creating shadows over her complexion.

"Natalia! What did I tell you?! Let me look at you!" Tash ran over to her sister, pushing her face to the side to look at her injuries.

"I'm fine!" T insisted, shoving her sisters hand out of her face. "Honestly, I'm fine. It's not like last time. It's different...somehow." At the last part, she lowered her voice so only those immediately next to her could hear. "Shift's right. Having the men around helps." She motioned around her, before pulling her sister into a hug. "Sunt familia." I barely caught the last part - she whispered it into her sister's ear, and I had no idea what it meant, but guessed it was Latin. She caught my eye as she broke her hug, and although she masked it as quick as it came, a flicker of something strange crossed her vision. "Are you all gonna keep staring, or...?" T raised an eyebrow at the group around her, a smirk playing on her lips. A small ripple of laughter echoed around the men. "Hey, Muck? Can I talk to you real quick?"She nodded her head towards the door, sending me a quick smile.

"Yeah, sure." Skip hopped off of his bunk, following her outside.

**T's P.O.V**

"Only you two know." I looked between Skip and Gene. I'd told Gene the same thing I'd told Muck that night on the field. _If only you could know the whole truth. _But no one could ever know the full extent of what had happened, of what I'd done. "Except for Tash, obviously."

"Ain't no one else gonna know, Dicca. You can trust us." Doc's thick accent reassured me, although I knew that these two would never let it slip.

"Yeah. Besides, I don't know what we'd do without you." Skip smiled cheekily at me, and I laughed. "I'm gonna head back in. You two coming?" Doc nodded, but then looked at me when I stayed quiet.

"Cigarette break," I shrugged.

"You ok by yourself?" Roe looked around like he half expected an attack from out of nowhere.

"Gene, go. You have more than me to worry about," I smiled reassuringly.

"Only if you're sure?" he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"100%," I winked. He shot me a small smile before he turned and followed Skip into the barracks. I got a cigarette out of the packet, before realising I once again didn't have a lighter. Just as I was about to give up, I noticed a a soldier not too far away puffing on a cigarette. _Might as well _I thought as I started walking towards him. He never moved an inch from the time I left the edge of the barracks to where he was standing. "Er, hi. You got a light, Lt?" I'd only noticed his rank insignia as I'd stood next to him. Without saying a word, he reached into his pocket, and handed me a metal lighter. "Thanks," I said, lighting my cigarette and handing the lighter back to him. For the next few moments, we presided in silence, and I thought about standing back by Easy's hut. But before I did, he spoke up.

"So it was you who had a fight with one of my men?"

"Sir?" _Shit._

"One of my men from Dog came back to barracks with a small hole in his arm, and several others came back bruised. I'm betting you dealt with the hole in the arm?" He turned to face me, and I felt like his eyes were boring into my mind.

"Er, well, about that. We had a minor...disagreement," I offered with a shrug. And to my amazement, he offered me a small sideways smile, just a small upturn of the corner of his lip.

"He was quite the wreck when he got back. Nobody would say who their opponents were. And I can see why."

"Sir?" I said for the second time in our short conversation.

"The reapings were quite the subject. You're assassins, correct?" I nodded, not sure where this was going. "Then you already know about death, about warfare. A lot of them are scared of you. You know more or less what to expect when you go into battle. You have the mindset of warriors. They find it an intimidating quality." He levelled his gaze to mine, as I exhaled a thick plume of smoke through my nose.

"They clearly didn't," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"But will they come back to finish what they started?"

"I shouldn't think so." _He already appears to think like he needs to in battle. _"Name's Natalia, go by T or Talia."

"Lt. Speirs," he nodded. "He gave you quite the beating." I noticed him raking his eyes over my face, though not in a way that made me uncomfortable. "Why did you hold back?"

"I didn't," I lied, looking at the floor. He blew out a cloud of smoke.

"I can see what the others can't. And I know that you wanted nothing more than to kill that man. Anyone would have done. Something held you back." I looked up at him, admiring the way he spoke, the way he wasn't afraid to say what he thought. I smiled.

"My sister needs to stay protected. I made a promise. She can't come to any harm, and here, now, is the safest she'll be. She needs this." He stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"So do you." It was a clear cut statement, not one made out of emotion, more of an observation. _He's good._

"Yeah, I guess I do," I finally replied, sighing. We finished our cigarettes in silence, none of us needing to say anything.

"I'll ensure that the Private gets fatigues. It's less than he deserves, but it's all I can do," Speirs said as he turned to leave, a small smile playing on his lips. I laughed, feeling genuinely thankful.

"Much appreciated, Lt.. See you around?" That probably wasn't the way to talk to an officer, but he didn't seem too bothered.

"Most definitely, Pvt. Zhukavitch." He nodded, before walking off. _I didn't even tell him my surname. _As I finished my cigarette, Web came out of Easy's barracks, about to walk in the opposite direction to me.

"Web!" I called out. He turned, smiling, lighting up his eyes.

"Hey, T. How you feelin'?" he asked as he jogged over.

"I'm good. Well, within reason," I smiled. "I meant to ask you, Tash told me you study Literature, right?"

"Yeah, at Harvard," he nodded.

"I got some books for you, I don't need them. I mean, they're from the future, but they're good," I laughed.

"Won't you want to read them?" Web asked. I laughed. "What?"

"I can't read books. Only singular words. Can't write either - I'm illiterate. School never cared really, I was just another one of those rough kids off the estate. Once we left school at 8, I never had a need to learn," I shrugged. To me, this was normal. But to someone like Web, it must have seemed crazy.

"You can't read or write?" I shook my head. "So you've never read a book?"

"Nope." I shook my head again.

"Can Tash?"

"Yeah. Guess she got the brains and I got the braun," I laughed. He smiled kindly at me.

"Did she ever try to teach you?" Genuine interest was written on his face.

"Once. I got told I was, what was it? Oh yeah, 'the most impatient fucking person in the entire fucking world who would never like reading anyway.' She sorta gave up after that," I shrugged.

"I could teach you? We won't have that much time, but it'll be something?" he offered. I smiled at his generosity, but shook my head.

"It's fine thanks, Web. I probably won't remember all of it. It's hard enough remembering the Latin." His eyes widened at the mention of the language.

"If you can't read, how did you learn Latin?" he asked in disbelief, though not rudely.

"Tash would speak it to me, and I'd repeat it until I could remember."

"Jesus, that must have taken a while."

"Hora est et sicut obietcum."

"Come again?" Web said, raising an eyebrow.

"Time is just an object. It's one of the things we're taught at the Guild. The lesson is that rushing will always cost something - be it a mission, a life or even just an extra day out on a stakeout."

"For someone who can't read, you say some poetic things sometimes. I like it," he smiled.

"Ugh, you sound like Tash. Poetry is definitely not what I'm aiming for," I said as I rolled my eyes. "Where were you off to before I apprehended you anyway?"

"To find you, actually. Tash said you wanted to talk to me. Now that's done, you wanna head back?"

"Yeah, it's been a long day," I said, stifling a yawn before linking my arm with his. "Oh, by the way, I'd prefer if not everyone knew about the fact I can't read." I looked up at him, and he smiled.

"Of course. You're secret is safe with me." He had a nice pair of eyes; they seemed to shine, almost like jewels. _Jeez, he is right - I'm getting to poetic._

* * *

Once I'd got back to the hut, most of the men had settled down for the night, knowing Sobel would throw a shit ton of crap at us tomorrow. I gave Web the books, who looked as though I'd just given him a part of my soul. Then again, they weren't technically even written yet, so I guess it came pretty close.

"Boudicca, Lip stopped by for you about ten minutes ago. Said he had something to give you," Martin said, coming over to stand at the end of my bunk.

"You know where he went?" I asked, starting to get up.

"Ah, it's no trouble. He said it could wait until tomorrow, and you look like you need a rest." He smiled at me, something he didn't actually do that often. I liked him anyway.

"Thanks, Johnny. I'll grab him tomorrow." I returned his smile, and he winked at me before going back to his own bed.

"Hey, Zhukavitch 1 and 2! You speak Latin?" I glanced over to see Penk, Grant and Toye sitting with Web who just shrugged apologetically. _At least he didn't tell them the other thing. _Tash laughed at Penk's new nickname for us.

"Scilicet papa catholicus?" I asked getting of my bunk to sit with the other four.

"What?" Penk asked, knitting his eyebrows together.

"Is the Pope catholic is the translation," Tash added, coming to sit with us. "Why do you wanna know if we speak Latin?" she asked, settling down next to Toye.

"Just an interesting language to speak is all," Grant said. "Why do you speak it?" he asked, shrugging.

"It's a requirement of the League. All of their rules are written in Latin, as is the oath."

"What's the oath?" Web asked, putting his book down. All four of them looked between me and Tash, and I rolled my eyes at her, before I began to recite it as Tash translated.

"Bellatorium ita manet in aeternum corde (_Warriors remain so at heart forever), _non timent mortem, not timent aduersariis _(they fear not death, they fear not their opponents), _crescunt non facuint, nec satisfacere obstruamus perpetuo doctrina _(they grow not complacent, nor do they ever stop learning). _Ac vitam tradere officii in sacrificium amoris (_To give up their lives and sacrifice love is all in the line of duty), _ad segregantur ex physica mens humana sit solam via quo fungentia ut consulerent est elucet (_to become detached from one's physical mind is the only way in which functioning as they should is reachable), _in quibis tantum potest consequi remissionem interiorem pacem mortem (_and only death is the release in which they can seek inner peace.)" _The men sitting around me just stared like I'd summoned a devil.

"How the fuck do you remember that?" I turned to see Lieb had stood behind me. I took a note of the huge bruise covering almost his whole right cheek, his lip cut.

"Because we had to. No oath, no missions," I shrugged as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Damn, that was some skill right there," Penk winked.

"We do try," Tash laughed, as Toye put his arm around her. _Those two seem to be pretty close _I mentally noted, smiling to myself.

"You two will never cease to amaze us," Grant laughed, a smile spreading on his face. As a yawn made it's way to my lips, I realised how tired I was.

"I'm gonna hit the hay," I said, stifling yet another yawn.

"Night princess," Toye winked.

"See you in the morning sunshine," Grant said, a smirk on his face.

"Don't even start," I warned jokingly. I swung my legs over the bunk, and Joe put his arm over my shoulder. "I gotta talk to you quickly, Lieb," I said as we reached my bunk.

"Sure. What's up?" he asked. I glanced around, realising quite a few of the men were still awake. I bit my lip, now not wanting to say it, aware of the ears that would most definitely be listening in. Joe seemed to pick up on it. "Let's go outside. It's late, no one will be around." He placed a hand on my arm, guiding me to the door. _I cannot wait to sleep. _I yawned again, hurting my jaw. We stepped outside and the cool night air was a welcome sensation across my bruised face.

"I gotta ask you," I said.

"Ask me what?" Lieb said, lighting up a cigarette.

"Is it true?" I practically blurted out.

"Is what true?" he asked, trailing his eyes over my face.

"That you wanna help. That you're not just using me. Ever since he said it, it's been playing on my mind," I said, practically to myself.

"Why would you even think that? Why would you listen to him?" A flash of hurt crossed his eyes, and I felt something I hadn't in a while. And it hit me like a train. _Guilt. _I swallowed, choking back the memories that that word held. And I knew, right then, that I had to tell him. I had to let him know that I couldn't let myself trust someone, no one.

"I loved someone once, Joe. Someone who was my absolute life, someone that I needed more than oxygen. I was 15. I guess it was kinda young, but when you'd lived through the things I'd experienced, you felt older than you were." I looked up to see his deep eyes trained on mine. "He was everything to me. I loved him to the point where it hurt when he wasn't near me. It went on like that for three years. Even when I went on a mission that drained me to the point of death, he was there. He was a light in my darkness, someone to lean on when all I wanted to do was die. His smile could light a thousand fires, his touch could set every nerve you had on edge in a way that no one else could. This mission I had to go on entailed things that no one should face, let alone live with it. But when I came out of it, he was still there. He held me, got me back to the point where I functioned as I had before. He helped me find my smile again, helped me remember what the sound of my laugh was." A small smile appeared on my lips, countered by the tear that trickled down my cheek. "He knew everything about me, he knew things that not even Tash did. And he made me feel like a human being. He made me feel like I still had some kind of humanity left. He was absolutely everything to me, and he made me feel like I was his everything. We were one person, until one day, he disappeared. It felt like someone had torn out my heart, destroyed my soul. I searched. And I searched. For months. I didn't sleep. All I could think about was him. Everyday, every night. Every fucking moment the breathe was coming out of my lungs." By now, the tears had started to fall in a flow, dripping like rainwater off of a ledge. "Then one day, there he was. And I dropped my weapons and fell to my knees. The part of me that was missing came crashing back, hurtling into me like a bullet. I knew then that he was the person I would love for the rest of my life, because he completed me. Except for one thing." I bit back wall of tears, trying to remain composed. "He was the target. He was the person we had to assassinate. He always had been a target. He said one thing to me - 'love hurts' and he shrugged, like I'd been nothing to him. In reality, I hadn't been. I'd been a puppet in his sick game. And when his arrow pierced my shoulder, I wished it had been my heart. I wanted to die more strongly than anything I'd ever felt. I didn't move, waiting for him to kill me. But suddenly, he started choking up blood, a thick, dark stream spilling from his lips. Tash had been behind him, driving a sword up through his throat. And I actually cried for him, and I cradled his body as he died, even when I knew everything he'd ever done for me was fake, that everything I felt was fucking false. But I'd trusted him with everything I held dear, with secrets that ate away at me, with a love that consumed my every fibre. And I've never felt anything that hurt that bad." By now I was shaking, and I looked out over the field.

"Jesus, Talia..." Joe looked down on me, his eyes filled with concern. "I'm sorry."

"It's in the past, right?" I shrugged, trying to keep the defences up against the threatening tears. And when Lieb put his arms around me, my defences failed. I wrapped my arms around his waist like he was the last hope. The thoughts of _him _flooded my mind, refusing to leave, and the memories I held plagued my mind. I don't know how long we stayed there, but not once did Joe try to break away. Eventually, my eyes dried up and I stopped shaking. I managed to gain some kind of composure before I looked up at him. Taking a deep breath, I looked into his eyes. "Joe, I find it hard to trust people. I find it hard to give them a part of my life. I mean yeah, I trust you guys, well, most of you, but there will always be a voice in the back of my mind telling me to keep my distance." _That's why no-one can ever know the full extent of my life's endeavours. _

"Natalia, you and Tash mean a lot to us. We would never do anything to hurt you, or let anyone hurt you. Look, I don't know what's happened to you, and I'm not asking you to tell me. All I'm asking is for you to understand. To understand that you can trust me, whether you want to or not." The sincerity in his voice made me want to tell him everything. But no matter what I said or did, that was not going to happen. It couldn't.

"Lieb, you guys are the best thing to happen to us in a long time. And if you think I'm letting that go, you're an idiot." I smiled; a genuine smile.

"We ain't going nowhere, Boudicca. You got a tribe for life," he laughed, winking at me.

"Thanks, Lieb," I sighed. "Now I truly am ready for bed." I yawned yet again, and he laughed at me.

"Ah, come on then. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He slung his arm around my shoulder was we walked back into the hut.

* * *

_"Love hurts," he said, smiling down at me manically. His arrow was trained on my skull, the point drawing a thin trickle of blood. _

_"Please. I love you. You are my everything, I can't live without you," I cried. I sounded almost crazed. He said nothing, but pushed the arrow harder, causing me to grit my teeth in pain. _

_"Oh, Natalia. What did we tell you? Maybe one day you'll learn. You always were a loose cannon." Glancing to my left, my mother stood with the rest of my family, each one burnt and disfigured. Her speech was slurred, her face melting as she spoke. _

_"Where's Tash?" a child's voice rang out. My youngest brother, Tobin, was tugging on my mum's sleeve, his blonde curls nothing but a wisp, his dimpled smile charred and blackened. _

_"Tobin..." I whispered, tears falling. _

_"Hey, tiger," Tash said. "I'm right here, kiddo." She stepped out from the shadows, walking over to him. _

_"Are you gonna join us?" Tobin asked. _

_"Tash! NO!" I yelled. But it was too late. She grabbed his hand, immediately becoming an inferno. "TASH!" I screamed her name, earning only a laugh from the love of my life. _

_"She's gone, baby girl," he said. "And now, it's time for you to depart as well, my love." He lowered his bow, using one hand to stroke along my jawline. He reached behind him, pulling out a knife. "Say goodbye, light of my life." He plunged the knife into my ribs, and I screamed out in pain. And his name formed on my lips as I screamed my last word._

_"CALEB!"_

I sat bolt upright. Another nightmare. But this time, I must have shouted out loud, because all of a sudden, Guarnere was by my bedside.

"Hey, hey, Dicca! What's up?" His eyes were frantic, checking me over for blood. I couldn't respond, instead my eyes fell to the floor.

"Natalia, sequuntur somnia? Eum?" Tash knelt beside me. _Nightmares? Him?_ I nodded. "Haerent tergum?" _They're back? _I nodded again - she always spoke to me in Latin when she knew I wouldn't talk.

"Tash, what the hell's wrong with her? Why ain't she speakin'?" Bill's eyes reflected worry, and she placed a hand on his.

"It happens sometimes. Bad dreams," she shrugged. This was nothing new - I'd had them since the day my family died. "Hey, T. You wanna walk it off?" For the third time, I nodded. I'd normally take a walk when they happened; it cleared my head. Without saying a word, I swung my legs down, reaching my feet to the floor, tugging on my boots. I threw on my leather jacket, as I already had my ODs on. I hadn't bothered to take them off before I slept.

"You want me to come with you?" Guarnere asked. I put a hand on his shoulder and just shook my head, a small smile on my face. I walked out the hut, and a few of the men gave me questioning glances. The others were still fast asleep. The fresh air hit my face, and I inhaled deeply. It wasn't long now until sunrise, so I wouldn't be out that long. I decided to go check who was on watch. We didn't actually need it here - it was more of an exercise for the men. I took the longer way around, walking to the end of the huts, round the canteen and back up past the medical room. I could see a silhouette against the navy sky, facing onto the field. Not wanting to make any more enemies - well, not right now - I decided against making them jump. I cleared my throat, just loud enough for them to hear. They spun round.

"Who is it?" a voice said, piercing the silence, before their tense form relaxed. "Oh, hey, T," the voice I now recognized to be Lipton's said. "How you feelin'? I heard what happened."

"I'll cope." I stood next to him, and he examined me in the limited light.

"Jesus, Talia. That's pretty bad! Let me have a closer look."

"You sound like Tash," I grumbled, but didn't object when he turned my head to the side.

"Bastard," Lip whispered, making me laugh. "What?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Just never had you down as a swearer," I smiled.

"I'm not. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting back to barracks in time for Sobel's drills?"

"All in good time."

"Why you out here anyway?" he asked, his eyes intrigued.

"Bad dream. A walk clears my head," I said honestly.

"What about?" he asked, though not prying.

"Eh, nothing important. Trivial stuff, Lip." I don't know if he could tell I was lying or not, but he put his arm around my shoulder, pulling my closer. I snuggled into his warmth and protection. We stood in silence for a while, until Lip's replacement came along.

"Sgt. Lipton? I'm hear to take over, sir," a young looking private said. He eyed me suspiciously, but not rudely. "Ma'm," he nodded at me.

"Nope, just a private," I smiled. He nodded again, a tight smile on his face.

"Thank you, Pvt," Lip said, giving him a curt nod. "Come on, Pvt. Zhukavitch - you got a long day ahead of you tomorrow." I laughed internally at Lip's formality in front of the private.

"Yes, sir," I joked, earning a look from Lip. I bit back a smile.

* * *

Sobel drilled us - hard. We repeated the obstacle course multiple times, in full kit. The men were exhausted. They'd never had this level of training before, but then again, I guessed they signed up to be the best. And I'm not sticking up for Sobel - not even if my dying breath depended on it - but the men of Easy were not going to be weak and hard to trust. I even laughed once today in the course, when Skip complained about it and Bull's Arkansas accent informed him that we were crawling through pig guts. After we'd completed our final run, each man was swaying on his feet as we stood. All of the men's times had gone up slightly, but they hadn't run it in full kit before, and no-one was disappointed. And so they shouldn't be. That course was hard enough for me and Tash, but then again, our training had been years ago now. And now we were once again standing and watching Sobel berate a member of our company. Smokey had been singled out from the beginning today, for reasons none of us could understand.

"Why are you here, Pvt. Gordon?" Sobel yelled in his face.

"I wanna be in the Airborne, sir," Smokey replied.

"I don't believe you. Why are you here, Pvt. Gordon?" _Fucking asshole._

"I wanna be in the Airborne, sir!" Smokey said, louder this time.

"You have 50 minutes to the top and back, and I will be watching you." I hated Sobel to a level that made me have to restrain myself from launching a knife between his eyes. "What are you waiting for?" Smokey waited just a second longer before turning and jogging slowly away.

"Fucking arse," I said, not realising it was out loud.

"Careful T. Or it could be you up there as well," Shifty said, placing a hand on my shoulder. He was soft spoken, and had a heart the size of the whole of Georgia.

"You know what, Shift? That ain't half a bad idea." I looked at him with a glint in my eye. I heard a sigh to the right and looked over at Tab.

"You suggesting what I think you are?" he raised an eyebrow at me, and I put an arm over his shoulder.

"I might be," I smiled.

"Yeah, she almost definitely is," More said from behind me. I turned to give him a smile, and he sent me a wink. "We'd better get going then, T." I could have hugged him.

* * *

When we joined Smoke, he was but a lonely figure almost stumbling up Currahee. I'm not sure if he realised we were real to begin with, but the determination kicked in, he got his head down, and he carried on running. I looked over at Shift, who sent me a smile, and then at Tab who rolled his eyes at me. I smiled to myself, knowing Sobel would be watching Smokey be joined by us - me, Shifty, Tab and More -and be hating every second of it.

* * *

When Sobel brushed out of Sink's office, he didn't even acknowledge my existence. Instead, he nodded at Tash.

"Outstanding performance today, Zhukavitch. I expect nothing less from such a fine calibre." As he stalked out the room, he never even glanced in my direction. As soon as he'd left, I doubled over in laughter as Tash punched my arm.

"I fucking hate you." She glared at me, rolling her eyes.

"Colonel Sink would like to see you now," a voice said. Pvt. Smith was still helping out Sink, and he seemed less nervous.

"Cheers, Smith," I smiled at him. He quickly looked at the marks on my face, before nodding. I knocked on Sink's door before pushing it open. He was sat behind his desk, and stood when we entered.

"Ladies. I'm hearing great things about you. But first, we need to clear up one thing," he said, motioning for us to stand in front of his desk. "Pvt Zhukavitch," he said, turning his gaze to me. "I understand you had a run in with one of the Dog company men. At first, you'll forgive me when I say I believed you to be the instigator. However, it came to my attention from more than one trooper, including officers, that it was in fact his fault. I understand Liebgott was also involved in the fighting. I have decided that no action will be taken any further." I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. "And now, both of you have excelled brilliantly. I am more than pleased with your progress, so much so that I would see it fit to enable you to teach the men of hand to hand combat. You two are the most advanced at it, and although it will be frowned upon by some soldiers, it will benefit Easy Company no end. Would that be a problem?" he asked.

"No, sir. We are honoured that you see us fit for such a task," Tash responded. I bit my cheek to stop myself from laughing.

"Good. It will be effective immediately, and I will inform you of when those sessions will be taken. One last thing - your weapons. I understand, and respect, the fact that you have trained with these weapons for a number of years. And the fact that I consider you no danger means I will allow you to keep them, and use them when the time arises. But I will also need you to carry a regulation rifle with you. In essence, it's just to cover our asses should anything happen. And in all honesty, I feel you could probably teach the men a thing or two about that as well." _Did Colonel Sink just crack a joke? _"Now ladies, that will be all for now. Make sure to inform me should you need anything." He sat down, signalling that our time was over for this meeting.

"Thank you, sir," I said, saluting the man who was quite literally our lifeline. Tash followed suite, and I sent Smith a wink as we left the hut, making him blush slightly.

"You ever gonna leave that poor kid alone?" Tash joked when we got outside.

"Maybe one day. Once he's developed his bark." We walked over to the men, who had just finished PT with Winters.

"Ladies," Winters nodded as we saluted him. His face had a kind look about it as he smiled at us. He was headed to the officers block, probably to get into his ODs.

"if it isn't my two favourite future girls," Bill said, coming over to us. "You ok now?" he asked me.

"Good as gold, Gono," I winked at him. "What you guys up to after this?"

"Christ if I know," he shrugged. "What did Sink want?" Bill asked, nodding towards his office.

"Say hello to your new close combat instructors," Tash laughed.

"No kidding? Way to go! Hey, guys, guys!" Gono shouted, rallying round the men. I rolled my eyes. "Our two warriors here are officially our new close combat instructors." He patted me on the back as the men cheered.

"I call dibs on volunteering for the purpose of demonstration!" Luz called out, making us all laugh.

"Yeah, Tash can smack you in the head again, Luz!" Muck replied.

"How you feelin' today? Tash told me about last night," a voice said behind me. I turned round to face Lieb, smiling up at him.

"Ok, for starters, that is apparently the question of the day. And secondly, it's nothing new. They've happened for years. I'm not going off the deep end just yet." He smirked before he offered me a cigarette, which I obviously accepted.

"Sunt familia. What does it mean? I heard you say it to Tash," he said as he lit my cigarette. I smiled.

"They are family."


	8. It's All In The Job

"Private Zhukavitch," a voice called out, causing Tash and I to turn around. The voice belonged to Lewis Nixon, the good looking Lt.

"Yes, sir," we both said in unison.

"Only you, Natalia," he smiled. He nodded at Tash, who gave me a smile before jogging to join the lads.

"Sir?"

"So Sobel decided to clean out everyone's footlocker, and in yours, well..." he trailed off. _Shit me. _I'd completely forgotten about the bloodied sheets from the scars.

"I, er..." I rubbed the back of my neck, not sure what to say.

"Don't worry about it. He was more confused when he found some more in a couple of other lockers, so me and Dick - I mean Lt. Winters - had to think fast. Sobel is very straight laced, easily flustered, you know? A brief mention of monthly cycles and, er, lady parts had him very hot under the collar."

"Christ. That is a very favourable image," I laughed. "Thanks, Lt. Nixon."

"No problem, kiddo. How are those scars by the way?" I inwardly sighed - how did he even know?

"They're holding up," I replied with a wink. He sent me a smile before he turned to walk off.

* * *

"Ay, budge up lads," I said as I got to the table. I put myself between Perco and Guarnere, with Tash opposite. "How are my two favourite Italian's today?"

"Better now you're sitting here," Gono winked. I laughed, as Perco smiled his cheeky grin.

"Excuse me, Pvt. Zhukavitch?" Pvt. Smith ran up to the table looking flustered, a small piece of paper in his hand.

"What's up, Smithy?"

"From Colonel Sink," he said handing the paper over. I took the small sheet, gently sliding my fingers over his whilst subtly biting my lip. He was turning all matters of the shade purple. I jumped when Tash kicked me under the table, snatching the note away. Smith practically ran back out of the door, almost colliding with Winters, who gave me a questioning look to which I replied with a shrug.

"Does that kid even understand what most of the men in this company would give for that?" Frank laughed.

"Tell ya what, T. If I give you this weeks cigarette rations, you wanna touch my hand?" Luz joked, earning a shove.

"Luz, give me those cigarettes and I'll hold your hand all damn week," I winked back.

"I'll hold you to that, T-Bird." The use of that name earned him a glare, to which he held his hands up.

"Hey, what does the note say?" Gono asked.

"Yeah. What does it say?" Tash snatched it out of my hands, saving me the embarrassment of trying to decipher the random jumble of letters on the page. "Well, our assignment has officially been put in writing. Says here that whenever we run Currahee, the lads have gotta come down and do close combat training straight after."

"I wonder who planted that idea," I said, rolling my eyes, knowing full well Sobel was behind this.

"Running Currahee is worth it to see you two getting hot and sweaty, swinging yourselves all over us," Luz grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"George!" I warned him, punching his shoulder, but laughing at the same time.

"Hey, if you two are gonna constantly flirt with each other, I'm moving out the way," Perco grumbled getting up to sit round with Tash.

"You're only doing us a favour, Perc," I winked, sliding up to George as he put his arm around my shoulder. "How the fuck do couples eat when they're so close together?" After several failed attempts at getting some pasta into my mouth, I finally removed George's arm.

"No fair, Boudicca!" Luz whined.

"I can't be a warrior if I'm not getting my nutrition," I laughed.

"Hey, I can always feed it to you," he winked, attempting to put a fork in my mouth, but instead ended up with sauce in his lap. "Or not," he shrugged, but playfully, smiling.

"This stuff is orange. Spaghetti ain't supposed to be orange," Tash said, swirling the strands around her fork.

"This ain't spaghetti. This is army noodles with ketchup," Frank responded.

"You ain't gotta eat it." Bill said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, come on, Gonorrhoea, you should know that as a fellow Italian, calling this crap spaghetti is a mortal sin." I laughed at Perconte's almost offended nature, as Hoob leaned over, attempting to grab his plate.

"You don't want it? I'll have it."

"I'm eating here!" Perco replied, elbowing him out the way.

"Get outta here," Gono added, giving an extra shove to Hoob. _Like dinner time at home all those years ago _I smiled sadly to myself. Suddenly, a whistle blew, followed by the voice of Satan himself, and every man jumped to his feet.

"Orders changed! Get up! Lecture's are cancelled - Easy Company is running up Currahee! Move! Move!" His eyes found mine, hatred radiating from his every cell. "Don't forget your close combat training when you come down!" The men begun filtering out, as Sobel swung his gaze to Winters in the kitchen. "Three miles up, three miles down! Hi-yo silver, let's go! Let's go!" I spat on the floor whilst his back was still turned, earning a hand on my shoulder from none other than Doc.

"Reign it in, ma cherie. Don't want you in any more trouble," he said, his dark eyes concerned.

"I'm fine, Gene. I just can't fucking stand him," I sighed.

"Zhukavitch! Roe! Why are you not moving?" Sobel yelled, finally turning back around.

"We were just leaving, _sir_," I practically snarled at him. Gene squeezed my shoulder, and I put a hand on his as we left the canteen.

* * *

Men were vomiting everywhere. I was running beside Bull and Perco - Tash was behind with Hoobler, who had puked multiple times. And right now, I wasn't feeling on top of the world.

"You're a washout, Pvt. Hoobler! You should pack up those ears and go home!" Sobel was all up in Hoob's face, making me want to do nothing more than to turn around and break his jaw. He went through several of the men, including Bull and Smokey, before he finally turned his attention to me. "You might as well be nothing more than empty space, Zhukavitch! You are worthless to Easy Company, and the sooner you bail out, the better!" He was close to my face, so much so that I could see the blood vessels in his face. I knew if I responded, it would be with a comment that got us thrown out on our arse. But someone else spoke up, well sang up, first.

"We pull upon the risers," George began.

"We fall upon the grass, we never land upon our feet, we always hit our ass. Hi-dee, hi-dee Christ almighty who the hell are we? Zim-zam, goddamm, we're Airborne Infantry!" the rest of the men finished. Sobel slowed in his tracks, a look of disbelief plastered on his face, as the men ran past him, repeating the rhyme again. I shot Luz a smile and a wink, laughing as we ran up the hill.

* * *

"Right. Lesson one of close combat. The fundamentals. Today we will cover the basics, such as range, weapons of the body, pressure points, target areas, falls, approach etc.," Tash said, earning a few eyerolls from certain men.

"The look on some of your faces tell me you already know what you're doing. So, if you think you do, move to the front, and we'll demonstrate on you and you can show us your defences." No man moved. "No? Then stop rolling your fucking eyes before I remove them." A few of the men chuckled.

"First of all, there are three ranges. Long range, mid-range and close range. Long range will normally involve rifles and bayonets, and doesn't usually involve any contact physically. Mid-range is usually fought with punches, kicks and knives. And close range involves a lot of grabbing, knee strikes, elbow strikes and grappling. Any questions so far?" Tash asked. George raised his hands, that certain smile playing on his lips. "What?"

"So close combat is the one where you climb over each other?" he asked, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Yes, George," I said, completely ignoring his not so subtle undertones. "You got anything intelligent to say, Georgie?" I raised a questioning eyebrow, to which he responded with a wink. "Anyway, on to the next part. There are several different parts of the body you can use as a weapon. Obviously, you've got your hands - they can be fists, the edge of your hand, your palms and your fingers. Each one provides a different force - a punch, a chop, a rip, a gouge, a slam - the list goes on. Then you got your forearms, which can deliver hard, effective blows, and also as a defensive block. Both your elbows and your knees can provide close range hits, and only need a short range to generate power. Your legs are perhaps the most powerful, and are the strongest against attack. And finally, your feet - kicking, stomping - all a good way to disable an opponent."

* * *

We went through several basic manoeuvres with the men, and after several injuries from the over zealous ones, we actually managed to get somewhere with the training. Now it was sun down, everyone had showered and cooled down, and were just milling around camp. Me and Tash were heading back from the showers towards the hut, when a couple of the men called over. Lieb, Bull and Grant were standing against the wall of a hut. We walked over to them, each one offering us a cigarette.

"Jeez, you only want one, and three come along at once," I joked. I took the one Bull offered, knowing he didn't smoke them that much - he had his cigars and tobacco.

"And I don't smoke," Tash added.

"Thank you," I said, handing Grant back his lighter.

"No problem, Dicca. You got any Latin for us today?" he smiled.

"Facit unum tripodes anatis natabit rotundis?" I asked. Tash cracked a smile, whilst the other's just looked confused.

"It sounds eloquent, but it's probably sarcastic," Bull remarked.

"Jeez, you feeling ok? You just used the word eloquent," I laughed.

"Hey, I'm not completely a backwards country hick," he smiled.

"So it's sarcastic?" Lieb asked. I glanced over at him, a smirk on his lips, making me smile.

"Of course it is," Tash said. "It's what she does best."

"Does a one legged duck swim in circles is the translation. I could have gone for a more harsh phrase, but thought you guys deserved a rest after today's exercises," I said, rolling my eyes.

"That doesn't even make sense," Grant said, shaking his head.

"Think about it - if it had one leg, it could only go in one direction, Grant," Bull pointed out.

"Eh, coulda come up with something better, T," he shrugged. Tash raised an eyebrow and reached for her canteen. It was once again an unbearably hot evening, and water was precious. Before anyone could say anything else, Cobb came sauntering over.

"What the fuck do you want, boy?" Bull asked, his deep accent cutting the air.

"Just thought I'd come over an say hi," he shrugged, that annoying, gleeful look on his face.

"Yeah? Well don't," Lieb responded. Most of the men still hated Cobb - he wasn't worth the time of day.

"What's the harm? Anyway, I'm sure these two wouldn't mind a chat," Cobb said, looking at me and Tash. _Is he fucking serious?_

"How closely related are your parents Cobb? Cousins? Brother and sister? It's just that when you open your mouth, I feel like the IQ of everyone around you lowers slightly," I replied with a sweet, fake smile. His face twitched, his composure faltering.

"Fuck you."

"I'm impressed. I've never met such a small mind in such a big head before. Stupidity come naturally to you? Matri tamen certus sum, ut vos tractare cum esset tempus navale vaccarum stupri." The last comment caused Tash to spit her water everywhere, not being able to contain her laughter. Cobb, now fully enraged, spun on his heel and stormed off, whilst the five of us laughed at his retreating back.

"What does the Latin mean?" Grant asked.

"I am still not sure how your mother managed to have the time to raise you whilst she was fucking the cows in the yard," Tash managed to get out between laughs.

"Christ, no holds barred when it comes to you," Lieb said, throwing his arm around my shoulder. "He's such a fucking jerk."

"That's too kind," Grant said, shaking his head. "I'm gonna head back, anyone coming?"

"Yeah, I'll tag along," Tash responded, linking her arm with his.

"Think I'll join as well," Bull added. "You two coming?" He turned to me and Lieb.

"I'm gonna have a couple more cigarettes," I said, motioning to my packet.

"She can't be left alone for too long without causing trouble,"Lieb winked.

"Alright, see you later." Bull turned, walking after Grant and Tash, leaving just the two of us. _Seems a regular occurrence these days. _To start with, we didn't say anything - we didn't need to. We just walked to our regular spot at the edge of the field, sitting on the steps. I got out a cigarette, and Joe handed me his lighter. Once I'd lit my cigarette, I gave it back to him, exhaling a thick plume.

"So, they are family? You mean that?" he asked, referring to the statement I'd made to Tash the other day - sunt familia.

"Yeah, I do," I nodded. I got up, walking onto the field, the evening air beginning to cool down. I sat down on the grass, preferring it to the hard steps. Lieb stayed put for a couple of minutes before coming to join me.

"Why?" He looked over at me, his eyes scanning mine.

"Why what?"

"Why do you consider us family?" His question threw me off slightly, and I let out a sigh. I lay back onto the grass, it's coolness spreading over me. "You must have reasons for it. I know it's hard for you to trust people, so it must be hard to consider someone family." I rolled onto my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows, studying his face as he spoke.

"Trusting someone and considering them family aren't the same thing, Joe. When you trust someone, you let your guard down around them, not intentionally, but because you think you can, because you think you're safe. But when you consider someone family, you don't think your safe, you _know _your safe, you _know _you can let your guard down. And despite all the shit I spill about finding it hard to trust people, you guys just seems to flow right into my life in a way I've only known once - when I had all my real brothers around as a kid. And I guess I consider you all my brothers," I shrugged. Joe stayed quiet for a bit, glancing over out at the field.

"Do you see me as a brother?" he asked, his brown eyes searching mine. I sighed, looking at the ground.

"It's complicated, Joe." I moved round to sit with my back resting against his side. "You know where I stand on feelings." He wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Yeah, you've made that clear. All I wanna know is do you feel the same about me as you do the rest of them?" Lieb threw away the end of his cigarette, and I stayed quiet for a couple of moments.

"Even as someone who can't convey emotion normally, I thought that much was clear."

"You are the most closed person I have ever known, Talia. Only Tash knows what you're thinking."

"Ok, fair point. So in answer to your question, no, I don't see you as just a brother," I said.

"Well, that makes two of us."

"What, you don't see me as your brother," I smiled, earning a small shove.

"You know what I mean." We stayed quiet for a minute, before I spun myself around, laying my legs over his, my head resting on his shoulder. His fingers played absent mindedly with the ends of my hair, and everything was silent. Until a voice shouted out, making us both turn.

"Hey, lovebirds! Light's out!" Luz yelled from the end of the row of huts. I rolled my eyes, a smirk on my face. We got up, walking over to Luz, knowing the words we'd spoken to each other wouldn't be quickly forgotten.

* * *

"So, do we feel like we're ready to be paratroopers?" the instructor asked.

"Yes, sergeant!" We were sitting on the grass by the obstacle course, each man focussed on the good looking sergeant in front of us. Everyone except for Luz, apparently. I was sitting in between his legs, resting against his chest, and he kept playing with the ends of my hair over my shoulder.

"George, stop," I whispered, clamping my hand over his.

"You know you like it," he whispered back. I could hear the smile in his voice, making me laugh. Skip, sitting next to us, shoved my shoulder, motioning for me to be quiet, accompanied by a wink. I took the cigarette from his mouth, putting it in my own, returning his wink.

"Zhukavitch, are you listening to a word I am saying?" the sergeant asked, sighing in despair.

"Uh, yes, sir," I replied, looking at him innocently.

"Thank you. There'll be a lot of men jumping from the sky today, hopefully under deployed canopies," he laughed. "Jumping from 1000 feet AGL, in sticks of 12 jumpers per aircraft. All you have to do is remember what you were taught, and I guarantee you, gravity will take care of the rest. And gentleman - and ladies - rest assured, any refusals in the aircraft or at the door, and I guarantee you will be out of the airborne." He looked around the group before continuing. "Once I have dismissed you, report to Captain Sobel, who will assign you your C-47."

Ten minutes later, we were stood on the parade ground, Sobel rattling through the list of names.

"Liebgott, Luz, Muck, Zhukavitch, Perconte, Martin, Randleman, Zhukavitch, Christenson, Gordon, Webster and Guarnere. You are the final plane load. Now, everybody make your way to the airfield. Fall out." He cast a glowering eye over the men, coming to a rest at Tash, giving her a smile. I felt someone come to stand next to me, turning to see it was Muck.

"Hey. Is loverboy giving your sister the eye again?" he laughed.

"Hmm, I think he might be," I winked.

"Shut the fuck up, both of you," Tash said, pushing between the middle of us before walking off.

"Herbert, so it's true. You can smile?" I imitated Tash, who by now was giving me the death glare.

"Only for you, my love," Muck joined in.

"Oh, Herbert. Let's run away together!" I grabbed Skip's hands.

"Of course, my dear," he replied, spinning me around, and then smacking me straight into Toye.

"Jeez, Skip. You do that to all the girls?" I laughed. "Sorry, Joe," I shrugged, flashing him a grin.

"It makes a change to get hit by a pretty girl," he winked. "You're doing me a favour, Muck."

"I try," Skip laughed.

"What the fuck is taking you guys so long? Hurry up!" Luz yelled from about 10 metres away.

"Only if I get a piggyback," I shouted back.

"Take a running jump, Boudicca!" George replied. I smiled to myself, before running behind him and launching myself onto his back. "Christ, you're light! How can you hit so hard?" Luz asked.

"It's all about the technique, Georgie."

"I've heard that before," he replied. I could hear the cheeky smile in his voice, making me laugh.

"Oh, I bet you have." I laughed as we neared the airstrip, the planes lined up in numerical order.

"Luz and Zhukavitch! You will fraternise in your own time, not in the US Army's time! Do I make myself clear?" the jump instructors voice rang out from behind us.

"Yes, sir," we replied in unison.

"Good luck tryna enforce that," Perco muttered under his breath as I jumped off George's back. I flashed him a smile before walking to my assigned plane, falling into step with Tash.

"You're way too quiet these days, sis," I commented. She'd become more troubled recently.

" I'm trying to work a way around this Sobel thing," she sighed. Her dark hair swung in its pony tail as she turned to face me. "Like I know it seems funny, and it was, but its starting to become an issue. If I reject him, that's it. We're both in the shit. But I'm in no way attracted to that devil of a man. Its fucking stupid, like a dumb high school crush. Not that we'd know," she shot me a look.

"Damn, Tash. We'll sort it. We always do, sis." I meant the words as I put an arm round her shoulder. We were suddenly joined by a man on either side, as Gono linked his arm in Tash's and Doc walked beside me.

"You girls lookjng forward to the jump?" Bill asked, his lopsided smile present.

"It's all in the job, boys," Tash replied. As we neared the planes, I pulled Roe aside as the other two kept walking.

"What's the matter, cherie?" His dark eyes searched mine.

"I wanna say thank you. Properly. I mean, I'm not the best one to say all this shit, but you being here has made it so much easier for me to fit in. You look after me, you actually care that the scars heal properly. I've never had that. So thank you, Gene." I smiled at him, genuinely. And he returned it.

"It's all in the job, T. Honestly, I like looking out for people. Especially you. You're different, and crazy, and it makes my job more interesting. All the guys love both of you, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I do," I nodded.


	9. You Leaving Already?

We lined up beside our planes, and I had Perco in front of me and Muck behind me. There was a slight buzz of excitement in the air along with the idle chatter of the men as they waited to board their aircraft. Tash was a couple of people in front, with Luz behind her.

"Hey, Tash, you wanna watch that creep behind you when we do equipment checks," I called.

"Your sister gives good advice, Tash," Luz laughed. "I think it's the one behind you that you gotta watch, Dicca."

"Hey! I am a perfectly well-mannered young soldier," Muck objected. I laughed with the guys, and at that moment the order came to board the planes.

* * *

"Get ready!" the jump instructor yelled over the rumble of the engines. "Stand up!" Each man stood up, their hooks ready to be connected. "Hook up!" A succession of clicks followed as everyone clipped their line to the overhead cable. "Check equipment!" The person behind patted down the man in front, knowing that if anything was wrong, they'd die before they even got to war. Muck behaved himself, but I decided to grab Perco's arse. "Sound off for equipment check!" The numbers echoed down the line, and reached Webster at the front. "Stand in the door!" the instructor directed at Web, who stood where directed, waiting for the red light to turn green. As the men began shuffling restlessly, a familiar feeling of adrenaline began to course though my veins. Even though I was used to more modern aircraft and much more modern parachutes, this somehow felt better. As the light colour changed, Webster jumped from the door with no hesitation. "Go, go, go!" The men jumped in quick succession, and I watched as Tash jumped free from the aircraft, and in no time, it was my turn. I flashed the instructor a smile, to which he returned a wink, before giving me the nod. I launched myself from the door, and the euphoric feeling of weightlessness flooded my being. It freed not only the physical body, but the mind, as the only thoughts that span around in my head were those of complete freedom. A sense of happiness found its way to my face, and I laughed to myself as I watched the men - my men - float to the ground. I landed near Perco, and as I was bundling up my 'chute, he came up behind me and grabbed my arse. I spun around, raising an eyebrow, but not being able to hide my smile fully.

"Hey, I owe you that," he smiled cheekily.

"So, how'd you enjoy your first jump, Perc?" I asked as I put my arm around his shoulders.

"Well, first off I swore, then I took control, then I swore again. So yeah, I actually enjoyed it," he laughed as we walked back towards the airfield to complete four more jumps.

* * *

Hours later, the men had finished all five jumps. We were on the way back to the barracks to get into our dress greens for the drinking later tonight, though to be fair, they would probably be completely messed up by the time it was over.

"Pvt's Zhukavitch. Colonel Sink asked me to deliver these to you. He says he's proud of your achievements under such trying circumstances," Pvt. Smith said, approaching us just before we stepped into the hut. He handed us each a flat, square box.

"Thanks, Smithy," I said, handing him a cigarette and a smile. He nodded politely before returning to the office. "What the fuck is this?"

"Gee, I dunno, T. My x-ray vision hasn't come into play yet," Tash replied.

"Asshole." We walked into the hut, which was mostly empty. Many of the men had gone to take a shower, leaving only Gono, Roe, Penk, Skip and Cobb. Completely ignoring the latter, we made our way over to our bunks.

"You two got an admirer?" Skip asked.

"Compliments of Sink," I said, opening the box. A letter lay at the top, which Tash quickly grabbed, once again saving my bacon.

"An offering of complete acceptance into Easy Company, and the chance for a new beginning. Sincerely, Colonel Sink," she read. Under the letter lay a layer of brown paper, and after peeling it away, my fears were confirmed.

"Fuck."

"What the hell is it?" Bill asked, coming over.

"It's a goddam dress." The thing I hated most in the world. "I cannot fucking wear this. I've never worn a dress in my life!"

"T, if we don't wear these, Sink will take offense. We have to," Tash said. "Besides, it's kinda nice." She lifted her's out the box. It was a velvety material, a dark purple colour, and tight fitting. If mine was anything like that, I'd find a way to become ill extremely fast. I rolled my eyes at her not-very-well concealed excitement.

"Come on, Dicca, get it out the damn box!" Penk exclaimed.

"Hey, do you wanna fucking wear it?" I glared at him.

"Maybe I do," he replied, making me drop my stony exterior. I sighed, before lifting the dress from it's box. It was the darkest black I'd ever seen, and as opposed to Tash's velvet, this one was a silky satin material. The top was a halter neck style, and body tight until the hips, where the skirt had under netting and flared out. The back of the dress was a lace screen, coming down to the dimples in my back. _A daring dress for this time period. _It was also slightly shorter than Tash's, meaning it would come to just above the knees. "Yeah, I somehow think it will look better on you," Alex said.

"Fuck," I repeated.

"Hey sis, I know you hate them, but at least it's black right?" she shrugged.

"I am only doing this for you. And because Sink is a decent guy."

"Am I missing something in here?" a voice sounded. Christenson walked into the hut, walking over to us. "You ladies sure know how to get the gifts off the guys," he joked, earning him a shove.

"It's a present from Sink. Apparently they deserve one over us," Cobb sounded from down the hut.

"Shut your yap, Cobb. You didn't travel back 70 years and have to deal with scum like Sobel. Besides, they teach us combat training. And they're girls," Gono argued. Cobb just shrugged before exiting. "You girls should probably get to the showers," Bill winked.

"I'm headed there now, I'll keep an eye out," Gene said.

"Yeah, sure. Any you guys got a cigarette I can steal?" I asked, still staring down the dress.

"Here you go, Dicca," Christenson said, handing me a cigarette and lighting it.

"Cheers. Right, if any of you feel like destroying that while I'm gone, feel free," I directed towards the dress as we left the hut.

"Come on, ma cherie. Let's get you tidied up," Gene smiled.

"Hey, Doc? You know if any of the nurses can do make up?" Tash asked.

"Nope, not happening, never," I objected.

* * *

"I hate you. I swear to christ, I am actually gonna kill you." Tash had somehow managed to get the nurses to do our make up and hair, and my normally braided dark hair was now curled and in victory rolls at the top. The dress, admittedly, was actually ok. It didn't reveal too much, but at the same time held class as well as a slight mystery. Tash, as always, looked stunning. The guys had cleared out of the hut to let us get ready, and left only two of the guys outside to escort us to the bar. I wasn't sure who they'd left, but I'd heard them flipping coins for it.

"So, you ready, sis?" Tash asked. Her hair was in an up-do, the tight dress showing her curves.

"I feel like an idiot," I deadpanned.

"T, trust me, you look great. I never lie to you, besides, you can tell when I do. Honestly, Tash, you look fine. The lace screen is thick enough to cover the scars on your back, and the ones on your legs and arms are hardly noticeable any more. Anyway, we have a hidden talent that none of them know about," she winked. I laughed despite myself. One of the things the League made us do was dance. It helped with co-ordination and balance, especially because we were younger at the time. And swing dance was my favourite. Sighing, I shot her one last look before heading towards the door.

"Who'd you think they've left?" Tash asked.

"God knows. Safe to say I don't think Cobb will be one of them," I laughed. "Right, let's fucking get this over with." I opened the door, and stepped outside, my heels clicking onto the concrete. In front of us, Luz and Web stood having a cigarette, their backs to us, too caught up in a conversation to realise we were there. I slipped up behind Web, putting my hands over his eyes.

"Which one is this?" he laughed, before turning to face me. "You look amazing, T!" His bright eyes lit up, and I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you, David. Now, let's get this freak show on the road?" I asked as I took the cigarette out his mouth. Web looked good, like really good. He had a lot of class, and was a very attractive man. Meanwhile, George hadn't said anything, rather just kinda stared at me and Tash.

"Hey, earth to Georgie!" I yelled. He snapped his eyes to mine, that grin spreading over his face. He also looked good, his hair kinda messed up; he was a handsome guy, and had that charm that ladies apparently loved.

"Well, I'll be damned. I think our warrior queens have turned into princesses of epic proportion," he laughed. I shoved him in the shoulder, before smiling at Tash.

"This one's yours, sis," I winked.

"Pleasure's all mine, m'lady," Luz said, taking her arm in his.

"Shall we, ladies?" Web asked, offering his hand to me, which I happily took. He smiled at me, a smile that could melt a thousand hearts. "So, you ready to drink?"

"Of course. Though I feel any image created by a dress will be shattered when I begin to down pints," I laughed. "It's a skill."

"I'll bet," Web said, laughing. We walked for about 5 minutes, laughing and chatting, before we stopped outside a building. Inside, I could hear glasses clinking, men cheering, and music playing. "After you," Web said, holding the door open for me and Tash, before following behind with Tash. It took a moment to scan the room for our boys. "I'll grab you guys a drink," Web said.

"You make a great date, Web," I laughed, kissing him on the cheek. Tash and Luz began making their way to the boys, so I duly followed. Some men stared, but none really payed too much mind. _Thank god. _I could hear them counting down, and saw Guarnere chugging back a beer in impressive time, before getting his jump wings between his teeth.

"Hi-yo, silver," he grinned, as the men cheered.

"Reckon I could give you a run for your money, Gono," I said as we approached the table.

"My God! You scrub up mighty well. You look beautiful, both of you," Muck said, standing up to hug us both.

"You're too good to us, Skip," Tash laughed, as Web came over with my drink.

"Cheers," I smiled.

"So, you gonna prove that you're as good a drinker as you say you are?" a voice piped up. I rolled my eyes as Cobb approached the table, his face flushed from alcohol. Without hesitation, I downed the pint in not exactly a ladylike fashion. The men cheered when I slammed the glass down on the table.

"Good enough for you?" I asked sweetly, before flipping him the middle finger. "And now I'm gonna go get another drink." I walked towards the bar, various shouts from different men not bothering me. Luz was now serving Toye, who looked pretty gone. "Beer please, Georgie." He winked before lifting one up from beneath the bar.

"Ey, looking good, T," Toye said. "Your sister around?"

"Yeah, she's with the lads," I laughed. He sent me a wink before going to sit back down with the rest of the men.

"Here's to the warrior queens and their band of soldiers," George toasted.

"And to the annoying amount of great eyes and cute smiles," I laughed, before we both took a swig of our drinks.

"Ten-hut," a voice sounded, seeing every man snap to his feet and me and George almost spilling our drinks. Sink walked in with Strayer and another soldier I hadn't seen before and stood on the small stage up front.

"Well, at ease, paratroopers," Sink said, glancing around the room with pride. "Good evening, Easy Company."

"Evening, sir!" the men chanted back. I slid through the men to stand next to Lip, who shot me a smile and a wink._ Apparently these men do that a lot. _

"Now, parachute infantry is a brand new concept in American military history. But by God, the 506 is gonna forge that brand new concept into victory."

"Yes, sir!"

"I want you to know that I'm damn proud of each and every one of you. Now, you deserve this party." He glanced around the room. "Thank you, Sgt. Grant," he said as Charles gave him a pint.

"Sir," Grant nodded.

"So, I want you to have fun, and remember our motto: Currahee!" Sink raised his glass in dismissal.

"Currahee!" the men responded, raising their drinks.

"How's your night, Sgt?" I asked Lip.

"Pretty well. And you look incredible," he said, kissing my cheek.

"Thanks, Lip. Dunno what I'd do without you," I winked. "You seen Lieb anywhere?"

"He's with Martin and Perc," Lip said.

**Liebgott's P.O.V**

Sink's speech was thankfully short. I hadn't seen the girls yet, but I knew they were here.

"So, money's on the table. Who's getting knocked out first tonight?" Perco asked.

"Oh, definitely Cobb," Martin responded.

"That's a for gone conclusion. But which one of the twins will it be," I laughed.

"Both," Frank said.

"Someone talking about me?" a voice said behind me. I turned round to face it, and found none other than the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Her hair wasn't it's normal straight and braided look. It was now curled and pinned at the top. Her make up was simple, but the red lipstick did all the work. And her dress complimented her in every way. The tight fit at the top clung to her body, the dark black keeping up that air of mystery, and it flared out at the bottom and came to just above her knees. She wore a black pair of stilettos that made her legs seem even more endless. And she was in every way a picture of perfection.

"Give us a spin then, princess!" Perco broke the silence.

"Do I have to?" she laughed.

"Yeah, get in here," Martin said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the middle.

"I hate you guys," she said as she spun around, the dress flaring out, the lacy back creating even more appeal. Somehow. Frank let out a low whistle. "Shit. I left my drink at the bar."

"Only thinking of the important stuff," I said. She smiled at me, her eyes lightening, small dimples on each cheek. "Come on, I'll grab you another one," I said.

**T's P.O.V**

"See you later, lads. And congratulations on the promotion, Sgt," I said to Martin, giving him a smile. I glanced up at Lieb, and holy crap was he fine. His dress greens made him look like very chivalrous, his beautiful eyes seeming even brighter than normal. I smiled to myself, grateful to be in his company.

"Another beer?" Lieb asked. I nodded.

"Can we go outside for a bit?" I asked, wanting to get some time to speak to him.

"Sure, I'll meet you out there." I walked towards the door, and felt a hand on the small of my back. I quickly turned around, relieved to see Eugene.

"Mon dieu, vous regardez absolument magnifique," he smiled.

"That's a compliment right," I laughed as I kissed him on the cheek.

"You leaving already?" he asked in his thick accent.

"Oh, god no, way too early, but I need to talk to Lieb outside," I laughed.

"Ah, of course. Then I'll leave you to it, mon cherie," he said with a smile, before heading off to find the rest of the men. As I left the bar, I walked straight into someone else coming through the door.

"Shit, sorry," I apologised, before looking up and realising it was none other than Lt. Speirs. "Shit. Sorry, sir."

"No need for apologies, Zhukavitch," he said, staring at me with those cold but beautiful eyes. _Holy shit, he is damn beautiful. _I mean, he wasn't a Lieb, but he was the next closest thing on this base. "May I say, you look very beautiful tonight, Pvt. Enjoy your evening," he said, before nodding and entering the bar. I laughed to myself at how polite most of the men in this time were as I stood by the wall and waited for Joe. In a couple of minutes, he came out with two beers, handing one to me.

"Cheers. You wouldn't by any chance have a cigarette as well?" I laughed. "This outfit doesn't come with a lot of storage space." He laughed before handing me a cigarette and lighting it.

"You look amazing, T." Enough men had said it tonight, but with Lieb, it was different. I looked at the floor, smiling. He put his hand under my chin, lifting my eyes up to his. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Er, I-" I cleared my throat, being to caught up in his eyes to speak apparently. "I wanted to say a proper thank you. For being there for me. I know the other guys are too, but with you, it's different. I don't know how, or why, but it is. You know that. You've been there for me, supported me, got beat up for me," I laughed, earning one of his famous smirks. "So seriously, thank you."

"I think I might have accidentally taken a bit of a liking towards you," he said, making me laugh.

"That makes two of us, Lieb." I looked into his eyes, in a way I hadn't before, and it felt like in that moment, we were connected. _What the fuck is happening to me?_ But I didn't care, because now, we'd drawn closer to each other, and as I looked up, our lips were almost touching, I could feel his breath tickling my skin, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. His eyes drew me closer, so much so that our bodies were pressing against one another, his free hand on the small of my back. Just before our lips locked together, the door burst open, making us both fly apart.

"Shit, we better get you home Skip," Penk said, holding up a less than stable Muck. Despite the situation, I laughed at Skip's predicament. "Give us a hand, Lieb," Alex said. I took his beer from him, as he winked at me.

"Don't let that drink go anywhere, T."

"Would I ever," I smiled, before heading back in. On the way back to the table, the cheers of the men around me, their happiness, their joy was all overshadowed my one emotion I'd felt only once - love. _Ew, gross. _I had completely fallen in love with Joseph D. Liebgott.


	10. You Have No Idea

Only a few of us remained, most men sane enough to realise how early they'd have to be up tomorrow. But none of us cared all that much. We'd only get to celebrate getting our jump wings once. And besides, right now, we didn't have Sobel busting us up.

"Hey, T, think you can get my jump wings out of my mouth with yours," Christenson laughed. He was absolutely smashed, and became so adorable when he was drunk.

"See, if I do that for you Pat, imma have to do it for everyone," I laughed.

"But you didn't say no," he winked. Or tried to, but just ended up blinking at me in the cutest way possible.

"Maybe when I've had a few more drinks, but right now, we can play another game. Which will definitely involve me having a few more drinks," I laughed.

"Natalia, if you're about to say the two words I think you are-"

"Beer pong," I practically whispered, cutting Tash off, earning cheers from the men.

"How the fuck do we play beer pong?" Gono asked.

"Ok, so, grab two tables, put them next to each other," I said, grabbing the edge of the table Perco was sitting at and yanking it out from under his arms, causing him to nearly collapse on the floor, making the men laugh again. "Like this. Ok, now, we need 20 cups, or glasses or something."

"I'm on it," George said, ducking behind the bar. "Hey, Doc, give me a hand will ya?"

"Right, now, all we need is something that substitutes for a ping pong ball, or something easy to throw?" I glanced around, trying to find something.

"What about bottle tops?" Toye asked.

"Joe, you're a genius. Or maybe I'm drunk. I don't know, but yes, bottle tops work well," I laughed. "Right, how many people have we got?" I looked at the remaining men; Shifty, Roe, Luz, Christenson, Grant, Lieb, Tab, Malarkey, Gono, Lip, Toye, Perc, Web, me and Tash. "Ok, so 15. Fucking odd numbers."

"You need a drinking partner, Zhukavitch?" a voice said behind me. I turned around to see Lt. Nixon with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"16 people is so much easier, sir? Care to join us?"

"I shouldn't, but I will," he laughed. The men cheered, and Luz and Roe returned to the table with glasses practically falling out their hands.

"Ok, now teams. Me and Tash are captains."

"Are we?"

"Come on, sis. I'll let you pick first," I offered, smiling angelically at her, making her laugh.

"Ah, fuck you, T-Bird," she replied, earning a shove. "Right, so we get 7 men each. Pick two at a time?" she asked me.

"Sure."

"Ok, Toye and Lieb," she smirked, earning a glaring smirk and a low murmur of joking 'ooohs' amongst the men.

"Shift and Lt. Nixon. You see sis, I now have the man with the best aim in the company," I said as Shift laughed. In the end Tash had Toye, Lieb, Grant, Web, Tab, Gono and Perco and I had Nixon, Shift, Lip, Mal, Roe, Christenson and Luz. "Ok, so the tables and glasses are set up. So, each team takes turns to flip a bottle cap into the other teams glass, filled with beer, or whatever you want. If they get it in, the current thrower on the opposing team has to down the contents. And instead of getting rid of the glass, we're gonna play a different version where it gets refilled with a stronger drink. We ready?" The men cheered, and Luz flipped a coin to determine who went first. Heads meant Tash was up. "Bring it, sis," I laughed, before kicking off my shoes. She flipped the cap, landing it in the centre cup. Her team cheered, whilst I downed the pint and refilled it with whisky.

* * *

A while later, the drinks had been drunk, the game was over, and we were highly intoxicated. I'd never had this much fun in my life. I noticed Grant almost passed out on the floor, and the only reaction I could think of right now was to jump on top of him, causing him to do the laugh where the winds knocked out of you but it's somehow still funny. I felt a pair of hands lift me off the floor, and turned round to face Roe, who's drinking tolerance was extreme. He was only mildly tipsy.

"Mon cherie, that kinda thing can get you arrested," he laughed.

"Ah, but what a way to go," I replied, kissing him on the cheek, before pouncing on Tash, who was also completely gone.

"You're a fucking mental case, T," she laughed.

"Hey, Tash, think you can beat me at darts?" Toye asked.

"Sorry to break up the party kids, but it's probably time y'all got some sleep," Nixon laughed. The men booed, but we knew he was right.

"Hey, Shift, wanna give me a piggy back to barracks?"

"To carry a warrior queen is all I've ever dreamed of," he said in his velvet voice.

"Come on lads, let's leave the lackies to clean this up tomorrow," Bill laughed, earning him a look from Lip.

"Give your son a clip round the ear," I said to Lip, earning the same look, but with a smile.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up around 6am, having had only 4 hours sleep. Lucky for me, hangovers were never a thing I experienced. I was as little tired, but nothing I couldn't handle. The men, however, looked like they'd slipped in a coma sometime during the night. I smiled to myself, before heading to the showers to wash out the damn victory rolls and return my hair to it's normally braids. Luckily, the shower block was empty when I got there, but I still went to the last shower on the row. Just as I was wrapping myself in a towel, I heard the door open, causing my heart to lurch into my mouth. I couldn't help laughing to myself though when I heard them puke, followed by a 'god fucking dammit' in a voice that belonged to Skip.

"Too much to drink, Muck?" I laughed, earning a scowl.

"I vow right now, with you as witness, I am never gonna drink again," he almost cried.

"Yeah, right," I said, raising an eyebrow. He looked a mess - his face was pale, and he was sweating, the darkness under his eyes giving way to how little he slept. And it was still funny to look at.

"Quit laughing at my suffering."

"Sorry, Skip. I can't help it," I said, before the door swung open again, and none other than Lt. Speirs walked in. _Shit a brick. _I was standing there in a goddam towel, laughing at a puking Skip. "Sir," I saluted, in the most dignified way possible.

"Apologies, Pvt. Zhukavitch. I'm looking for a soldier who hasn't returned to his barracks. Anyone else been in here?" His gaze never left my eyes, his expression never faltering.

"Uh, no, sir. Not since I've been in here, which was about 10 minutes ago, sir. Except for Muck."

"Very well, Pvt's. As you were," he nodded, before turning round and walking out.

"Holy shit," Skip muttered, before puking again.

"Nope, I am so getting out of here as soon as possible. I cannot deal with puke." I grabbed my clothes, throwing them on as quickly as I could, before giving Skip a smack on the back. "Good luck, Skippy," I said before almost leaping out the hut, straight into Lip. "Woah, sorry, Sarge."

"You're in a hurry? You left a pile of bodies in there?" he joked.

"Nope, just Skip puking his guts up, it's gross. I can deal with most things, but vomit - nu-uh." I shook my head, curling my lip.

"Jeez, I might leave it a minute before I go in. You in the non-hangover club as well?"

"That I am, Lip. And thank god for that."

* * *

A while later, most of the men were up and about, the day not going in any particular direction whilst we waited for the orders to move out. Sink had given everyone a day to ensure they had all of their items, and to give us a chance to have one last close combat training session before we left.

"Right, you sorry lot. This is our final session here in Toccoa, so let's make it count, ok?" Tash addressed the group. "Pretty much what we're gonna do today is just practice all the techniques we've taught you."

"We'll pair you with someone of similar ability as best we can. Right, first up, Cobb and..." I looked around, a smile creeping across my face. "And Randleman." I glared at Cobb, wanting him to suffer one more time for all the shit he'd put me through.

"Are you kidding?" Cobb argued.

"Do I look like I am? Go," I said, pointing towards Bull, who also found this amusing.

"Come on, boy. You're not scared are you?" Bull asked, his accent thick. Reluctantly, Cobb got up, sulking over to where Bull stood.

"Ok. Get into your fighting stance, and on my count, grapple, trap and down. Three, two, one," Tash said. In about 3 seconds, Bull had disabled Cobb, swinging him to the ground.

"Nice work, Randleman." The rest of the men performed well, Malarkey almost taking Skip's head off due to the fact Skip had literally no body control right now.

"Jesus, Mal. Leave that for the battlefield," I laughed, earning a cheeky smile from one of my favourite redheads. "I actually need to talk to you after, Mal."

"Yeah, sure," he smiled.

"Right. Good work today. You've improved a hell of a lot, and maybe one day you'll be half as good as we are," I laughed. "OK, that's our final session in Toccoa guys." The men filtered to the shower block, and I laughed when I caught Hoob trying to trip over a slightly better Skip. "Hey, Mal, let's go for a walk."

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked, offering me a cigarette as we began to walk.

"Ok, so this thing with Tash and Sobel, it started out funny, but now it's becoming a problem," I said. I paused for him to light my cigarette before continuing. "It's making her agitated, and she can't deal with emotion like I can. And she's right - if she turns down Sobel, he'll make both our lives worse, and probably the rest of the company. I need you to help us figure it out. You've probably got the best relation with all the men."

"Shit, it's a tough one, T," he said, looking out onto the field. We'd stopped walking and were stood at the edge of the obstacle course. "I mean, she can't go on the whole time without saying anything. The longer it goes on, the madder Sobel will get. If I were you, I'd talk to Winters, then come back to me and tell me what he says. He's the best man for it."

"Is this a red head referral?" I smiled.

"Something like that," he laughed.

"Ok, I'll catch him once we get to Camp Mackall," I said, finishing off my cigarette.

"Head back in?" Mal asked, taking my hand as we walked back towards the barracks.

* * *

"So, I spoke to Mal about what we're gonna do about Sobel and his obsession with you," I said to Tash as I was drying. She was still in the shower, the tendrils of steam flicking through the air towards the darkened window. We'd just done our first field exercise in our new camp, and Sobel royally fucked up. Pretty much every man would have been killed, so he had to leave three wounded on the ground. No surprise he picked me, along with Petty and Roe.

"What's he think we should do?"

"I'm gonna talk to Winters, he's probably the best option, sis," I said, pulling on my boxers and my bra.

"Yeah, I guess," she sighed. "Does he already know anything about it?"

"I dunno. Lip knows, but I don't think Nixon does, so my guess is that no, he doesn't know yet." I finished pulling on my ODs, and heard Tash's shower turn off, the remaining water droplets trickling to the floor as the shower head drained.

"Ok, sounds like a plan," she said, wrapping herself in a towel as I plaited the sides of my hair into it's usual almost tribal look.

"Right, I'll catch you later, sis," I said as I walked towards the door.

"Oh, T," Tash called just as I pushed open the door. "Hoob says he wants to talk to you."

"About what?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. I rolled my eyes as I went to find Winters.

* * *

I found Winters talking with Nixon in their hut.

"Sorry, Lt's. Can I speak to you?" I asked, knocking on the door.

"Of course, T," Nixon smiled. "Come in, what's up?" Nixon was much more laid back than Winters, and always treated me and Tash more like friends than he did the other soldiers.

"OK, so major issue. Sobel has a weird love of Tash -"

"What?" Nixon cut in, looking at Winters, who looked just as bemused.

"Hear me out. So it started off with him having a conversation with her one night, and he called her a 'rare thing' What the fuck does that even mean?" Nixon had a smile like a cheshire cat, and Winters had the cute smirk, the one that lit up his green eyes. "He fucking called her Nat, like Hawkeye does to Black Widow." They both pulled a face of confusion, before I realised they had no idea who they were. "Ok, scrap that, just he called her Nat. Only I ever call her Nat. And he's been shooting her smiles, and all sorts during exercises." I couldn't help smiling, and had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing out loud. "And it was funny to start with, but now it's becoming an issue. Because when she turns him down - "

"He'll make your lives even more of a hell," Winters finished. "That is a mild predicament. Does Lipton know?"

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Damn, the worst part is, even if your sister did like him, he sucks at field exercises," Nixon laughed, making me smile.

"Am I interrupting?" a voice asked from the door. I spun around to see a smaller man standing in the door, before Winters introduced him.

"No, no. Lt. Lewis Nixon and Pvt. Natalia Zhukavitch. Lt. Harry Welsh just in from the 82nd," Winters said.

"Yeah, but only Sobel calls her Zhukavitch, and pronounces it wrong. Most people call her T, or Boudicca," Nixon added.

"You must be on of the reaping twins that everyone heard a lot about," Welsh said, shaking my hand. "Glad to finally meet you," he smiled.

"Thank you, sir."

"Congratulations on the promotion," he said, turning to Nixon.

"Thanks, if you can call it that. You'll learn him pretty quickly," Nixon said, pointing to Winters. "No flaws, no vices, no sense of humour," he joked.

"Just like your chums up at battalion staff?" Winters retorted.

"And you'll learn this one even quicker," Nixon said, ruffling my hair, earning him a glare. "Bark is definitely not as loud as the bite. And she can bark. Her first encounter here was to almost behead Sobel with a katana. Her and her sister are one of a kind - sociopaths," Nixon smiled.

"Well, I'll make sure I don't see that side of a sword," Welsh winked.

"What's up?" Winters said, addressing the reason Welsh came in here in the first place.

"I'm hearing a lot of rumblings."

"Sobel? We were just talking about that," Nixon replied.

"So, he gets a little jumpy in the field?" Welsh asked.

"He gets jumpy and you get killed," I snorted.

"That's nice."

"And we have a real issue with him. We'll fill you in on the train. And if we discuss it, I think it should be just among ourselves," Winters said.

"Absolutely."

"Pvt. Zhukavitch, why are you in the officers hut?" Sobel asked, jumping into the doorway holding an apple.

"I have an issue that I need to take up with the Lt's,_ sir,_" I said, trying to remain level headed.

"Well, before you go, Sink wants me to give you this," he said, holding out a small brown, paper bag. "I need to give one to your sister as well. Do you know where abouts she is?" he asked, peering outside the hut like she was gonna appear if I thought about her.

"Uhm, no, sir. But I can give it to her for you?" I almost smirked.

"No, I can do that, Zhukavitch." He switched his attention to Winters."Get 2nd platoon in formation, we're moving out."

"Yes, sir." Sobel spun around, and walked towards the barracks, no doubt in pursuit of an ill fated love affair.

"Shit the bed, he is never gonna give up, is he?" I asked, glancing at the men. Winters raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We'll figure it out, T. Now what's in the bag, because I need to get the platoon ready." The bag was flat, weighing nothing. _I hope it's not got writing on it. _I opened the bag, and staring back at me was something I never thought could happen. "Well, fuck," I said, as I pulled out the triple chevron badge.

"Holy shit, congratulations, Sgt," Nixon said, pulling me into a hug. "You deserve this kiddo."

"Can I call you Nix now?"

"Anytime," he laughed.

"Nice work, T. The men respect you, I can't think of a better person," Winters said. "And now, we need to go get the men lined up."

"Hey, for Sink to give you one of those, you must really be something," Welsh congratulated as we left the hut.

"Oh, Harry, you have no idea," Nix laughed.

* * *

I walked over to the men, still not seeing Tash anywhere and deciding Sobel was probably talking to her. I saw Cobb chewing out a private that I hadn't seen before, and decided to exercise my new power.

"Pvt. Cobb, please stop harassing this private. Back to 2nd platoon," I ordered.

"You have no holding over me," he sneered. I noticed a couple of the men standing at the side, coming over; Luz, Perc and Web.

"Well, actually, I do," I smirked as I took out the chevrons. His face must have dropped through the ground, his eyes apparently not registering what he was seeing. I spun around to face the approaching men, who immediately saw the badge.

"Holy shit! Congratulations, Boudicca," Perc said, giving me a hug.

"Ey, my warrior queen is rising up in the world," Luz said, as he decided to pick me up and spin me round, making me laugh. When he finally put me down, Web put his arm around my shoulder as we walked over to the rest of Easy.

"Nice going, girl. Always knew you had it in you. Don't stop there," he winked.

"Would I ever?" I laughed. "Guys, can you not tell the others yet? I need to talk to Lieb first."

"Of course." Luz smiled. We got back to the men, and Tash still hadn't made an appearance.

"Hey, Lieb, I gotta talk to you," I said.

"What's up?" he asked, walking over.

"Over here," I said, ducking into an empty hut on the right. "Ok, so I feel like we didn't really get to finish our conversation last - " He cut me off, by crashing his lips to mine. I'd never felt more connected to another human being, and as he wrapped his arms around my waist, I knew that I never wanted this feeling to go.

"I think we finished the conversation," he smiled, as he pulled away. I laughed, and his deep, beautiful eyes stared into mine, breathing life into their normal cold, icy tone.

"Yeah, we did." I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his warm skin underneath my hands. I brought him closer, our bodies now pressed against each other. He bought his lips down to mine, this kiss different from the last. There was more longing, more feeling. Fiery, yet passionate, a split second but forever. I felt his tongue slip over mine, a passion I'd only ever dreamt of. The adrenaline in my heart fuelled the kiss, and he moved one of his hands up to tangle his hand in my hair. As our mouths danced together in perfect synchronism, time seemed to stand still. My back was now pressed up against the wall, my hands in his hair. As he pulled away, he gently bit my lower lip, adding to the ache of what I could only guess was love.

"We should probably get back out there, Sgt," he smiled.

"How'd you know?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Luz is useless at keeping his mouth shut," he said, making us both laugh.

"Come on then, Joe. They're gonna be thinking we've eloped."

"If only the penalty wasn't death for desertion," he laughed, kissing me on the nose.


	11. Life Cannot Exist Without Death

We managed to leave the hut without anyone noticing anything odd. But now I was a Sgt, I couldn't be seen under any circumstances in a romantic situation with any soldier. I'd found Tash, who was also pleased about her stripes, but I didn't tell her about what had happened with Lieb. Not yet. We were getting ready to move out, to where we weren't exactly sure, but we were headed to the train station. All the men were throwing their things on the back of a truck, and a voice called out.

"Hey, T. Congratulations on the promotion," Lipton said, coming over to give me a hug.

"Ah, thanks, Lip. Not sure where they came from but, hey, I'm not gonna turn it down," I laughed.

"They came from the fact that you and your sister have overcome such challenges and taught the men valuable, life saving skills," he winked. "I've already loaded up your stuff into a truck."

"Thanks, Lip, you're such a gentleman," I half joked, earning a shoulder push. I laughed as I approached Luz, Bull and Muck. "Hey, Luz, you got a big mouth, you know that?" I smiled, because no matter how hard I tried, I don't think I could ever be mad at Georgie.

"I just wanted everyone to know how awesome our ladies are," he winked, putting his arm around me. I shot him a warning glance, but he chose to ignore it.

"Nice going, Dicca," Muck said. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked.

"Of course. Right, let go of me, Luz, before I break your arm," I said, looking at his chocolate eyes.

"Yes, Sgt," he mocked saluted, making Bull laugh. I rolled my eyes at their immaturity, but couldn't help but smile. I walked over to where Muck stood, out of earshot of the others.

"What's wrong, Skippy?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to check up on you. We haven't spoken properly in a while, and I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You know, like no more nightmares or whatever?" he shrugged. This bunch of men were the most selfless people I'd ever met. They would literally do anything to make sure me and Tash were looked after.

"I'm holding on in there. The nightmares seemed to have stopped for a while, the cuts have closed over. So yeah, I think I'm good. Thanks for asking, Skip," I smiled.

"Just looking out for you," he said. Then he hesitated, like he was going to say something then thought better.

"What?" I asked, trying to regain eye contact.

"It's nothing, I don't wanna pry," he smiled, looking back up.

"Skip, I'm probably closer to you than I am anyone else. I'll tell you, ok?" I said, knowing that what he would ask would be nothing compared to the partial truth I'd hidden from them all. He sighed in defeat, looking around trying to find the right words.

"The night you had the nightmare, you shouted out a name. Caleb I think it was. Who was he?" I kinda expected this question at some point. I took a deep breathe in, trying to search my brain for a way to explain it.

"He was someone I loved. I was young, but I knew. The life I'd had, the emotions I'd learned to forget all came back. That's how I knew. And after certain things happened, he was always there, always telling me it was ok. He put my life back together, even when Tash couldn't. Then he went missing. I searched and I searched, trying to find him. Then we do. But all he was doing the whole time was gathering intel on us. He was always a mission. He almost killed me, but Tash got there first," I said sadly, though not as emotional as the time I'd told Joe.

"Jesus, Natalia. I never knew. I'm sorry," he said, smiling gently.

"Don't be. It's all in the past. Besides, we have a train to catch and I have some rounds to do," I shrugged. "Come on, Skip, let's rejoin this sorry bunch." I walked over to Luz who was laughing about some such, his smile being infectious and causing me to smile.

* * *

The train was crowded, men coming from every direction. I found Tash on the train, sitting with Hoob, Martin, Toye and Perco.

"Holy shit, this is one packed out ride," I laughed to them.

"Sure is, Sgt," Hoob smiled. He always reminded me of an overexcited kid, his face always smiling. He looked so innocent, and it killed me that they'd soon be diving into the horrors of war.

"Take a seat, Dicca," Martin said, shifting down the bench. I sat down next to him, and pulled out a pack of cards. We were lucky enough to have a seat that had a small table in the middle.

"So, who wants to play poker?" I smiled.

* * *

Most of the journey, we played cards, until Perco cashed out and lost almost everything. I couldn't help laughing and high fiving Toye. We'd been secretly teaming up to win the pot, and only us two knew about it.

"That was a good game, wouldn't you say, Sgt?" Toye asked, winking at me.

"Sure was, Pvt. Toye," I laughed.

"Woah, slow down there Bonnie and Clyde. Have you two been cheating us?" Tash twigged.

"Would I, your humble, lowly Sgt. ever do such a thing? Besides, I'm not allowed relations like that as a higher rank," I said in a fake posh voice. Martin and Perc both shot me a look. "Well, this has been a good game, but I'm heading off to uh...go somewhere else," I said, jumping up and hurrying down the carriage, hearing Toye laugh and the others protest. I'm came upon a seat with Lieb, Luz, Penk, Roe and Smokey, throwing myself down and skidding into Smokey.

"You going somewhere, T?" he laughed.

"I'm er, escaping," I shrugged.

"From who?" Lieb asked.

"A set of displeased card players," I smiled. He winked at me so no one else could see, and I smiled at the ground. _Way to be discrete. _But no one seemed to notice.

"You charming people out of their possessions again, Boudicca?" Luz laughed.

"It's a gift," I smirked.

"Hey, Sgt. Sorry to break up the party, but Winters and Nixon want to talk to you and your sister," a young soldier said. I hadn't seen him before and guessed that Nix had given him the job of finding the only two women on the train. "Would you know here I could find your sister, Sgt?" he asked. He wasn't a bad looking lad, his blonde hair making him look too clean for war.

"It's ok, Pvt, I'll get her. Where abouts are Nixon and Winters sitting?" I asked as I got up.

"The next carriage ahead," he pointed.

"Thank you, Pvt," I nodded, as he saluted and left.

"Now what trouble have you caused?" Penk joked.

"Oh, you have no idea what trouble I could cause," I laughed as I walked off to grab Tash.

"Look who came crawling back," Martin laughed as I approached their seats.

"I'm only here to grab my other half," I smiled.

"That's my queue lads," Tash said, getting up from her chair.

"Where are you taking her?" Toye asked, his husky voice still sounding sexy after the amount of time I'd known him.

"We have a matter to discuss with Nixon and Winters. Apparently," I shrugged. Perco raised an eyebrow at me.

"As long as they don't want a game of poker they'll be fine," he said, trying to keep a straight face. I laughed as me and Tash made our way through the carriages, before finding a sleeping Welsh and a drinking Nix.

"Take a seat, ladies," Winters said, moving over slightly. I sat down next to Nix, who offered me a hip flask, which I obviously declined as she sat down next to Winters. "Right, so we have our orders on where we're going to be invading."

"Yeah, get ready to invade Fortress Europa," Nix said matter-of-factly.

"No kidding?" Tash asked.

"As honest as the Virgin Mary," Nix said, making me laugh. "Troop ship from New York to England. You girls get to go home, even though it is 70 years before your time." I smiled at him as he rested his head back on the seat.

"Why you telling us? Shouldn't Lip or anyone know first?" I asked, confused as to why they let us in on this secret.

"We weren't sure if going back to England would create bad memories, so we thought we'd give you some time to adjust to the fact of where you're going," Winters said lightly. I never even knew men this thoughtful existed.

"Thanks. That means a lot," Tash smiled.

* * *

The docking yard in Brooklyn was crammed full of soldiers. It was hard enough to move, let alone find anyone you knew. As I was approaching the ramp, a pair of hands grabbed my waist, causing me to spin around about to knock seven hells out of them. I let out a sigh when I realised it was only Christenson.

"Pat! I almost smashed you in the face, idiot," I moaned. He laughed at me, keeping his hands around my waist.

"Come on, Dicca. Let's find Easy's compartment on this huge ass ship," he smiled. I put my hands over his as we made our way slowly into the ship. Eventually we found the lads, only on account of hearing Skip talking about how much he wanted to be in the Pacific with the naked native girls.

"You make a good escort, Chris," I laughed as he kissed my cheek before we separated. "Hey, free bunk going anywhere?!" I yelled over the noise.

"Up here, Dicca," Malarkey said, as I began to climb up the bunks about four high. I chucked my bag on top, as Mal gave me a cigarette.

"Thank you, my lovely," I winked as he lit it.

"No problem, Sgt," he smiled back. The ship was incredibly crowded, men squeezing past one another, the cots seeming to rise from floor to ceiling. The haze in the room was created by the amount of people smoking. A couple of guys were playing cards, but the majority were getting some rest. I flipped down to the bunk below me to get in on the conversation, which had somehow turned into religion.

"How do you know he's a Quaker?" Muck asked Gono about Winters.

"He ain't Catholic," Bill replied in his thick accent.

"Neither's Sobel," Mal pointed out.

"That prick's the son of Abraham," Gono responded. _Oh shit._ I glanced over at Joe who looked thoroughly pissed.

"He's what?" he asked, changing his stance on his bunk.

"He's a jew," Bill said, like it was obvious. Lieb threw his cigarette end on the floor before jumping off his bed to stand in front of Gono. _Shit._ For the moment I didn't move, seeing how this would play out.

"I'm a jew," Lieb said, getting closer to Bill.

"Congratulations. Get your nose outta my face," Bill sneered, pushing Joe back. That's when I jumped down, but too late, because Joe swung, and before anyone knew what was happening, Lieb and Gono were all out fighting in the confined space.

"Hey, hey! Joe, Bill, knock it off!" I yelled as I landed on the ground. Several men tried pulling them apart, and within a few seconds, they'd split up. I got in the middle, glaring at both of them. "The fuck is wrong with you guys? Save it for the fucking Germans. Tash, take Bill on a walk, cool him off," I said, as Tash jumped down to walk with Bill. "You, with me. Now fucking behave yourselves," I aimed at Joe. I eyed the rest of the men before taking Joe away. "Any of you assholes start anything when I'm gone, I will have your head on a plate," I warned. "Move it, Liebgott," I said, shoving him through the men. We walked in silence until I found a small empty room off to the side. It only had tools lying around and I guessed it was an unused storage room. I shut the door behind me. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Joe?" I questioned him. He looked into me, his eyes boring into mine.

"He had a bad word to say about my religion," he retorted. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get anywhere.

"Yeah, well save it for the Germans, ok?" I said more softly. "Hey, let me look," I said, turning his head to the side. "That's gonna hurt in the morning," I said as I took in the purple bruise already starting to form on his right cheek.

"You know, you're hot when you're angry," he smirked, earning a shoulder slap. "Not that you're not always hot," he said, brushing a strand of hair from off of my face, his hand lingering over my cheek. I reached my hands up to place them around his neck.

"Yeah? Well you're kinda a jerk when you get angry," I smiled.

"I never knew you had it in you to be so cruel," he laughed. I only now realised how close we were, our breathe reaching one another, our hands connected with the others body in someway. One of his hands cupped my cheek, the other wrapped around my waist, bringing me in closer. He brought his lips down to mine, and a kiss I'd been longing for since the first one we shared flooded my every cell. A thousand thoughts entered my mind, but I couldn't focus on one enough to understand my own thoughts. His lips were soft, his hands warm. I could feel his muscles under his uniform and I wanted nothing more than for him to be shirtless in this very room. That thought made me question myself, breaking away suddenly, both of us out of breathe from the way we felt about one another. "What's wrong?" he asked, resting his forehead on mine.

"Nothing, just not exactly wanting anyone to burst in here right now," I lied. "I mean, we are on a ship with thousands of soldiers," I smiled.

"Maybe you're right," he sighed. "They're probably wondering where we've got to," he said, moving away slightly. He took my hand, and kissed me once more.

* * *

The rest of the boat journey was fairly uneventful. Lieb and Gono stayed at a distance, and me and Lieb kept stealing glances at one another with the odd wink and smile like love drunk teenagers. It sucked that we couldn't just be public about our relationship. Was it even a relationship? What label did it have? We weren't exactly a conventional couple - the hot headed soldier and the girl from another time. Thinking about it like that made it seem like it could never last. And then my thoughts flooded back to Caleb. Look what happened there. I thought I was happy, loved. _Turns out you were a blind, stupid kid. _I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts.

"You okay, Sarge?" a voice said, as Malarkey climbed up to lay next to me.

"Yeah, just caught up in my thoughts, I guess," I smiled at him. "Cigarette?" I offered. He thanked me and took one, before lighting his and my own. "So, you looking forward to England?" I asked.

"If there's cute girls and beer, then I'm always happy," he laughed.

"Then you're gonna love it. If there's one thing we know how to do, it's beer," I smiled. "I dunno how I feel going back though, Mal."

"Why not?" he said, exhaling his smoke and looking at me. I sighed.

"It's just, I don't know, I think it's the fact of all the things that have happened there. I guess I just thought I'd never be returning so tried to forget all the things that had happened. It's like I'm being forced to remember," I shrugged. I moved closer, laying my head on his chest and dangling my feet over the edge.

"You got us, T. We're always gonna be there to protect you, you know that. Ain't nothing gonna happen to you whilst you're with Easy," he said simply as he exhaled a stream of smoke.

"Thanks, Mal," I smiled. "So, how you feeling about finally getting into combat?" I asked. A lot of the men were excited, not really understanding what they were about to embark upon.

"I'm excited for it, but I'm apprehensive, I mean, I don't know what to expect," he said.

"That's the best way to think of it. At least you're not gonna go head first into battle and die within minutes," I replied. I sat up, looking around at the men of Easy Company. _How many of these will actually be returning to their lives after this is over? _"You ever feel scared to die, Mal?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess," he shrugged. "I haven't really given it too much thought," he said as he flicked the end of his cigarette away. "Probably not something I wanna focus on going into battle," he said matter-of-factly.

"You got the right idea, Mal," I said, smiling. I looked round at the men again. I looked at the ones I was closest to, wondering if they'd make it through. Would I be able to share my life stories with Muck once it was over? Would Luz still be cracking jokes and making me smile once we came out? Would Web still flash his beautiful smile? Would Toye still be able to talk to me with his husky voice? Would Christenson be able to make his cheeky remarks? Would Shift be able to calm me down with his soft tones? Would Lip still be my rock? And most importantly, would me and Lieb be able to live a normal life, even with our differences, even with our issues? Because I'd got myself in a place where I didn't see my life any different than it is now. I glanced at Tash and the thought of losing her wasn't even a possibility. If I lost her, I wouldn't make it through to the next sunrise. "Nunquam sine morte vitam; verumtamen non sine vitae discrimine; nam vita data est, opportet reduci ad ordinem universi," I said to Mal, who raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Life can never exist without death; life cannot function without a balance; for when a life is given, one must be taken for the order of the universe to be restored."


	12. What Do You Guys Even Want?

We landed in England in the early hours of the morning, and by September 18th, we were in the village of Aldbourne. Me and Tash had been put up with a husband and wife called Gerry and Delilah. They were a nice enough couple, though Gerry was a very large man, a lot of muscle and not much brain. Delilah was small in comparison, and although they were an odd match, they seemed happy. Me and Tash had to share a bedroom, seeing as we were twins, but it wasn't too much bother. At least we had a roof over our heads, and a bed to sleep on. Tash was already asleep, and I had on the only set of pyjamas that I'd put in my bag before the Reaping; a pair of small shorts and a tank top. As I was getting ready to get into bed, a loud knock on the door shook me from my tired state.

"Who the fuck is that?" I grumbled as I went to answer the door, seeing as mine and Tash's room was downstairs and closer to the door than Gerry and Delilah's. They banged on the door again, louder this time. "Yeah, I'm coming, christ," I shouted at the door. As I unhooked the latch, a flashlight shone into my eyes, causing me to squint.

"T, that you?" a voice said.

"Who the fuck do you think it is?" I answered. "Get that fucking light out of my eyes," I moaned. Whoever it was lowered the torch, and I could see 2 silhouettes. As my eyes adjusted, it became clear that one of them was Lieb, the other Toye. "Great, the two Joes at my door at 2 in the fucking morning," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Don't sound too enthusiastic," Lieb laughed. "Nice shorts," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Hilarious," I remarked sarcastically, but I couldn't help but smile. "What do you guys even want?" I asked.

"Lads are having a game of poker, you want in?" Toye asked, his husky voice becoming slightly hushed.

"That is quite tempting, given the skill I have at that game," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"From what I hear, it's straight up cheating," Lieb remarked, earning him a shove.

"Hey, are you calling the lady dishonourable?" Toye asked, smiling at me as to our earlier devious plan on the train to New York.

"You coming or what?" Lieb asked, growing more impatient. _Oh, what the hell. _

"Lemme get changed, and grab Tash. I'll be two minutes," I said, about to shut the door on them.

"Hey, can we at least wait inside? If anyone walks past, we're screwed," Toye said. He was right.

"If you make any fucking noise, or break anything, so help me I will kill you both," I said, opening the door wide enough for the two of them to squeeze in. "Stay here, and shut the hell up," I whispered, going back into our room. "Hey, Tash, wake up," I said, nudging her side.

"Jesus, what?" she asked, annoyed I'd woken her up.

"Toye and Lieb are here. They're taking us to poker," I said.

"Joe's here?" she asked, becoming more awake.

"They both are," I said, removing my shorts and tank top and chucking on my ODs.

"So, you and Lieb, huh?" she smirked, swinging her legs over the bed.

"So, you and Toye, huh?" I mimicked her, making her laugh. "What's actually going on with you two?" I asked, knowing they had something happening.

"We like each other," she said simply, as she threw on her clothes. "You and Lieb is a different story though. You two are connected on a whole different level." We'd both changed now, and were just talking in the middle of the room.

"We kissed," I blurted out. I couldn't keep it from her any longer.

"What! Natalia! When did -" I clamped my hand over her mouth, because she was basically yelling, no doubt waking up the occupants of the house.

"Shhhh!"

"Jesus, sorry, but when?" she whispered, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Before we got on the train and on the ship," I shrugged.

"Twice? And you never though to say anything to me?" she questioned, looking hurt.

"I'm sorry, Tash, It's just, I don't want a repeat of last time. The more people who know, the higher the risk, ok? I was gonna tell you, but I didn't know when or how," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You know how much I love you, it's just the fact that I'm tryna being careful."

"I get it, sis, I really do. But from now on, you gotta tell me things. And just because we're going to play poker, don't mean I'm not still mad at you, ok?" she said, raising an eyebrow and making me laugh.

"You know, I've never seen you get up so fast. You really like him, don't you?"I half teased.

"Yeah, yeah, I do," she nodded, a smile creeping across her face. "Let's go get some money off these idiots," she laughed. I opened the bedroom door, and Lieb and Toye both gave us a look that meant they were done waiting. "Come on, then," I whispered, nodding my head towards the door. The got up from where they were sitting, as I unlatched the front door as quietly as I could. The street lamps had long gone out by now, the moon providing the light as it hung full and bright in the dark, heavy sky. I ushered everyone out before closing the door behind me, hearing it click shut. Tash had already started walking with Toye, his arm around her shoulder, leaving me and Lieb slightly further back.

"So, where is the game taking place?" I asked, looking up at him as we walked in the dark night.

"It's in the barn round the back of the house Malarkey's been put up in," he said, lacing his fingers with mine.

"Sounds like a great way to kidnap someone," I laughed, reaching for a cigarette in my pocket, giving one to Lieb as well. I lit them both, and he untangled his fingers from my hand and put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I inhaled the scent of him; of gunpowder and cigarettes, a smell I don;t think I'd ever get tired of. I exhaled a plume of smoke from my cigarette, watching it twirl it's way into the sky, writhing under the light of the moon. As we walked, we stayed quiet, neither one of us wanting to break the intimacy we had at that moment. I watched as Toye and Tash laughed with each other, and I saw how genuinely happy she was, making me smile.

"You know exactly what she feels, don't you?" Joe asked, looking down at me.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I've spent so long by her side, practically every moment of my life, that we know what each other is thinking, we don't even need words in a conversation," I shrugged, thinking off all the times before we'd been Reaped of all the missions we'd been on and felt a strange pang of longing for those times. I sighed, and Joe hugged me closer.

"What's wrong?" he asked, small puffs of smoke coming from his mouth with each word.

"I kinda feel like me and Tash are becoming further apart now we don't rely on each other to keep the other one alive," I said, a sad smile on my lips. "I know we can't spend our whole lives next to each other, but right now, we hardly speak. What we're gonna be going into is gonna need us to be the team we used to be, Joe."

"You have us now. You two aren't alone anymore. You just gotta see that, Talia," he stated, like it was simple. Then again, I guess it was the way he made it sound.

"I know. But you gotta understand how hard it is for me. There's still stuff I haven't told you yet, Lieb. Caleb, he's just the tip of an extremely large iceberg," I said, looking over to him. We stopped walking, and he looked me in the eyes, his beautiful brown eyes piercing through me.

"I know you got a lot of stuff bottle up, Boudicca. And I ain't never gonna press you to tell me. If you don't want to, that's fine, but if you feel like you can trust me enough, you can spill anything. I will never undermine your trust in me," he said sincerely, gently pushing back a strand of hair that had fallen over my eyes, resting his hand on my cheek.

"I know, Joe, and I would never think that of you. It's just, I've thought I was secure before, and everything crashed and burned," I said, putting my hand over his. "I promise you, right now, that at some point, I will tell you everything, no matter how long it takes," I smiled, but deep down I knew how much that would change how he felt about me. He leant down, placing his lips on mine, and the kiss once again meant something slightly different to the first two times. This one held more sorrow, more longing. He tangled his hand in my hair, and I buried my hands in his jacket collar. The moonlight behind us would have made it romantic, had the heavens not opened and decided to drench us in rain. I started to laugh as we pulled away from each other, a smile on Joe's face, as he took off his jacket and chucked it round my shoulders.

"Let's get going," he said, hugging me closer as we began to jog towards where the men were. Tash and Toye were waiting for us outside, huddled against the door.

"Why didn't you guys head in?" I asked, giving Joe back his coat.

"Because walking in together looks less conspicuous, for both of us," Tash said, raising her eyebrows like it was obvious. _So something was happening with her and Toye. _A small smile found it's way to my lips, and I wiggled my eyebrows at her, earning a shove. I laughed, opening the door to the barn. It was big inside, but dark aside from one small light in the far corner. A second platform was above our heads, full of hay, it's musty smell finding it's way to my nostrils, reminding me of the times I'd been horse riding. A shadow danced across the floor, making me jump, before I looked up to see it was only George, that usual smile plastered on his face.

"Hey, Dicca, you come to win properly this time?" he asked, throwing an arm around my shoulder, his eyes glinting in the dim light.

"George, how could you say such a thing?" I feigned hurt, using one of his tricks against him. He hugged me closer, calling out to the lads.

"Fellas, the Joe's bought back two beauties," he laughed, as I rolled my eyes and shook my wet hair in his face, earning a shove and a smile.

* * *

The game was in full swing, but I decided to be dealt out of this hand to go out for a cigarette. I didn't exactly fancy smoking in a barn full of dry hay.

"Right ladies, I am going for a cigarette. Try not to let anything too exciting happen," I winked.

"Would we ever, Sgt. Zhukavitch," Muck mock saluted. I laughed at him, shaking my head. I turned to walk out, but a voice spoke up.

"Wait up," said Lieb, getting up, to numerous shouts and mockings from the lads, earning a middle finger from both of us.

"Hey, look, they're both in sink," Guarnere laughed.

"Can it, Gonorrhoea," I deadpanned, before letting the smile spread over my face. Lieb grabbed my hand, no one being able to see in the dimly lit room. I pushed open the big barn doors, Lieb shutting them behind us. We went slightly round to the right, down the darker side, to avoid being seen by any officers who might happen to walk past at 3 am. He lit up two cigarettes, handing one to me. He leant against the wooden barn wall. I rested my back on his front, my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and I placed my hands over his. "Coming to England wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," I said quietly, meaning for it to be more of a thought than spoken word. "I think having all you guys around helps," I sighed.

"Yeah?" Lieb asked, inhaling on his cigarette. "Good to know we have some kind of positive impact on you rather than just pulling you out at stupid hours to play card games," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I turned around in his arms, looking up at him, placing my hands on his hips.

"You know damn well the impact you made on me, Joseph Liebgott," I smiled, kissing the corner of his mouth. I took another drag on my cigarette, snuggling deeper into Lieb's coat in the cold night air. The moon still shone brightly, casting shadows over the town. "Lieb?"

"Yeah?"

"Who do you think is winning cards?"

"I thought you were gonna ask me an actual question," he said, raising an eyebrow, making me laugh. "And probably Toye. But without his cheating system," he said, nudging me "he ain't gonna be half as good."

"I don't know whether your complimenting my poker face skills or berating Joe for his crappy technique," I laughed, short puffs of air becoming present in the air. I flicked the end of my cigarette away, exhaling the last plume into the early morning air. Joe did the same, and we just stood there for a couple of minutes - me snuggled into his front, my hands wrapped up into the warmth of his coat, him bringing me closer, his arms feeling like a barrier of protection against the rest of the shit the world had to throw at me.

"You ever realise how beautiful you are?" Joe said, breaking the silence.

"Joe, stop," I said, blushing in the darkness, a small smile creeping onto my lips.

"I'm serious. You know one thing I've never seen you do? Dance," he said, putting his hand under my chin and lifting my face up to his.

"Actually, I'm quite a good dancer as it goes," I teased, making him smile that wonderful smirk. "Maybe I'll give you the pleasure of seeing that for yourself when we next hit up the pubs," I smiled.

"I'm gonna hold you to that, Boudicca," he said, leaning down to place his lips on mine. I responded, bringing my hands up to the back of his neck, his drawing me in closer from the waist. Suddenly, the door the barn swung open against the wooden walls, making us both jump, splitting from each other. I sent a smirk his way as Toye came out, trailed by Mal and Bull.

"Hey, T, we need you in there," Toye said in his husky voice. His expression showed frustration, making me smile.

"What? You can't win a game without a mastermind behind the planning," I laughed.

"He can't win because he hasn't got a cheating partner," Bull winked, making me smile.

"Don't know what you're talking about," I shrugged innocently, giving Lieb's hand a squeeze before walking towards the boys.

"Come on then, T-Bird, let's show 'em what we got," Mal said, swinging his arm around my shoulder.

"So now we're a team?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"You bet your ass we are," he laughed, the dimples in his cheeks becoming apparent. I smiled, almost sadly, as I thought about how the boyish nature of most of these men would be stripped away in the war, replaced by hard worn expressions, eyes full of the woes of battle. _What if we come out the other side, and the warmth where Mal's arm is now is just a cold memory? What if the only time I'll get to talk to Don again after the war is a one way conversation in a cemetery? _As we headed into the barn, the low chatter among the men was broken by George shouting about his winning hand or some such. And once again, the feeling of being safe, of being around what I could call a family was interrupted by that niggle - the same niggle that told me I'd fuck everything up, the same niggle that reminded me of the horrors of my actions before. I looked behind at Lieb, who sent me a wink, and I smiled at him, though reliving the nightmares of Caleb in my head. I shook the thoughts, deciding that in this moment, right here, right now, I'd live for today, not for the past.

"Come on then, Joe," I said, grabbing Toye's hand, "let's show them how it's done."

"That's my girl," he winked, laughing.

* * *

An hour later, me and Toye had once again cleared the men out of their bets. Our system worked well, but it was virtually unnoticeable to anyone who knew little about poker.

"Jesus, how can you two be winning so much and not be cheating?" Muck said in desperation.

"Oh geez, come on, Skip. You know they gotta be cheating," Gono said, aiming dark looks our way, making me laugh.

"You know it's a bad habit to call a lady a cheat," I winked.

"Let me know when one comes in then," Hoob interjected, making the men laugh and earning a punch from Tash.

"Don't wanna disturb the party or whatever, but we should probably get a couple of hours of sleep before we have to face the devil this morning," Mal said.

"That's not a bad shout," I said, slipping into a more authoritative tone of voice. I had to fulfil my role as Sgt, otherwise my title would be stripped and Sobel would be happy. Not a victory I'd give to him.

"Hey, someone's starting to enjoy their new rank," Muck laughed, putting an arm around my shoulder and hugging me closer. I smiled, as the men started to stand up.

"Right, we need to get going, sis," Tash said, nodding to the door. I rolled my eyes, but I knew she was right.

"Ah, come on then," I sighed. "Later lads," I waved, earning a few low 'byes' and 'see you laters'. I walked outside, to see Lieb standing by the door. "You going my way?" I asked playfully, spinning round in front of him and taking his cigarette. He smiled at me, quickly checking that no one else had come out yet, before wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Wherever the night takes me," he laughed. I exhaled a plume of smoke, before he took his cigarette back.

"Anyway, we have to go, otherwise I'm going to be dead tomorrow morning," I smiled.

"I'll wait for the lads, me and Luz are roomed together," he said, nodding towards the barn. "And I'll see you tomorrow," he said, kissing the end of my nose.

"No doubt running around under Sobel's dumbass leadership," I laughed, kissing him quickly before the men came out. !And now I'm gonna catch up to Tash before she yells at me." He laughed, letting me go, and giving me a final wink as I jogged after my sister.


	13. Stupid Little Girl

We had a few hours to go before our afternoon exercise across the familiar English fields. I'd got up and had a shower, my hair still wet as I changed into my casual army greens.

"Hey, Tash! I'll meet you for the exercise later. I'm gonna go for a walk," I called to her in the shower. I heard a muffled 'see you in a bit' before heading downstairs, and giving a nod and thanks to Gerry and Delilah for breakfast. As I stepped outside, I saw Roe walking slightly further up the road. I quietly ran up behind him, before jumping on his back.

"Ey, mon cherie!"he laughed. "Normal people just say hi," he smiled. His cute smile in turn put my lips into a smile, making me once again think about how good my life was right now.

"I think we established from the beginning that I was not of normal ilk," I laughed.

"I think you got that right, Dicca," he smiled. "Anyway, what you planning on doing this morning?" he asked.

"Just gonna have a walk around the village, acquaint my things with all those English oddities that I so dearly miss," I smiled. "Well, try and acquaint myself with the English oddities that had been much further progressed in my time."

"Sounds like a nice morning. Some of us have to go teach some young, over-eager medics how not to crumble under pressure," he sighed. I slung my arm round his waist.

"I'm sure you'll have a whale of a time, Doc,"I said, raising an eyebrow, as he put his arm over my shoulder.

"Sgt. Zhukavitch, a word," a voice sounded. Me and Doc stopped walking, and I turned around to see Lt. Welsh with a cheeky grin on his face. I rolled my eyes , laughing to myself.

"See you later, Doc," I said, who smiled in return. I jogged over to Welsh. "Yes, sir?"

"I have a question for you. Now, answer it with honesty and integrity, and you won't be in any trouble," he said, looking as if trying to keep a straight face. I raised an eyebrow, trying to guess his game. But then again, there were a couple of things that I could be discharged for. One namely in the form of a handsome, temperamental soldier. I nodded slowly. "What is the best beer in England?" he asked.

"Are you fucking serious? I thought I was in trouble!" I almost yelled, punching his arm.

"Got something to hide, Talia?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I just glared at him, trying not to laugh.

"In relation to beers, when it was the year 2015, Guinness and Exmoor Beast Strong Ale where my favourites. God knows what you'll find now," I said. "Is it wrong that I want a beer this early?" I smiled.

"Not at all, Dicca. In fact, I was just on my way to the local pub. We've got down time, so, what you say we hit up the local?" he said, giving me a cheeky grin.

"Harry, that is the best idea I've heard all day," I laughed. "You know where it is?"

"Oh yes, one of the first things I looked for when we arrived."

"Then lead the way, Prince Charming," I laughed, as he offered his arm out to me. I took it, as I lit a cigarette, I offered him one, but he declined, taking his own out.

"A gentleman never takes from a lady. Suppose I'll have to find one first," he smiled.

"Asshole," I laughed. We walked for a couple of minutes before approaching a pub, simply named The Black Dog. A faded, weather worn sign swung lightly in the breeze. The pub looked almost ancient, its bricks almost becoming rubble, and the stupidly low doorway almost caused me and Harry to knock ourselves out. "How fucking small are these people?" I questioned, making him smile. We a couple of empty bar stools and sat down. I ordered a local ale, and Harry followed suit.

"I figure you know more about beer," he shrugged.

"First off, beer is different to ale. And secondly, yes, I probably do." We sat there for a couple of hours, just talking about our current situation, and wondering more about when we'd actually be being deployed to our positions. I managed to get a few details out of Harry about our training here in England, about how we'd be focussing on textbook manoeuvres using local farm and woodland.

"Anyway, I'd better be off, Sgt. I gotta few things to talk to Winters about before this afternoon," he nodded, getting up.

"No problem, sir. See you later," I nodded in return, remaining seated to finish my drink.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear that officer call you a sergeant. May I ask, what brings a women into the army?" a young woman asked as Harry left. She was quite pretty, not very tall, and had brown hair in pinup curls.

"I was a reaping. Brought here under certain circumstances. My past endeavours made me and my twin sister a good match for the US army. In time, I got my promotion, and here I am now," I smiled.

"I just wanted to say, I admire you incredibly so. Thank you," she smiled, her face lighting up.

"It's my duty, ma'am," I winked. "Now, I best be off, make sure my men aren't getting into any trouble they shouldn't be."

"Of course. Hopefully we'll talk again before you leave," she said eagerly.

"I'll sure try," I said, excusing myself. As I walked outside, the breeze had picked up a little weather was crisp, the typical English weather. I still had some time to kill, so decided to try and find some of the men to hang around with. I walked down the old streets, the rubble concrete uneven underneath my solid boots. As I rounded a corner, I walked straight into someone, and as soon as I saw who that someone was, a smile found it's way onto my face. "It's rude to walk into a lady."

"Not if there ain't one present," Joe winked, earning a raised eyebrow. "Hey, you know I'm kidding. You're one hell of a lady," he smiled. "And what's better is your my lady," he said.

"That I am, Lieb. Let's go for a walk," I said, wanting to be somewhere more secluded so we could have some time together without interruption.

"Lead the way." He lit two cigarettes, handing one to me before inhaling on his own. "So, you had anymore run ins with Cobb?" he asked as we began to walk. I shook my head.

"I think people try and keep us apart. No good if one of us ends up dead before we even get to the war," I smiled. "Besides, all the officers keep an eye over him before he gets too fucking lairy."

"Jeez, he already is too lairy. And you realise he's shit scared of you right?" Joe laughed.

"I guess. But hey, I'm a nice person, right?" I grinned.

"You're ok. Sometimes," he winked, making me feel like a schoolgirl with a crush. "No, but seriously, how you doing this morning?"

"I'm good. It's strange to be back in my homeland, albeit years before my time, or even my parents time," I said, sighing and looking at the sky beyond.

"Doesn't it bring back memories? I mean, certain customs must seem so familiar," he asked, looking down at me with his perfect eyes.

"Yeah, they do. They're familiar, but so fucking distant. Like I know that they're a part of me, but at the same time, it's almost like I never knew them at all. Duce affectum minime humana instinctu ad sensum."

"Which translates as?" Lieb asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A familiar feeling is not at all meaningful when compared to human instinct. It basically means that whatever you think you know, you don't. That everything you think you need to know is not at all what you should be knowing, rather the fact you should travel and go further upon your basic instincts as a surviving human being."

"Sometimes, you are way too philosophical for me, T," he smiled. I smiled a small smile back at him. "Whats wrong?"

"What?" I shrugged.

"I know somethings up with you today. The other guys might not sense it, but I can," he said, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"I dunno. It's just, being back here, it's weird. I mean, I've never even been to this part of England before, but it feels like home. And I don't fucking want it to feel like home. I want it to be an unfamiliar environment where I haven't fucked up in the past, where I haven't been an asshole to countless people and where I don't have a stupid fucking memory about someone I love dying." I didn't realise how angry I was with myself until Lieb pulled my hands away from my scars, which I'd unintentionally been rubbing.

"Hey, come here," he said, stepping into a secluded, small lane. He pulled me into a hug, kissing the top of my head. "You know, most of the guys, they think you're the most incredible person they've ever met. And they're right, because you are. You're a perfect person. To me, I couldn't think of anyone better to share a company with." I smiled into his chest, inhaling his scent.

"Lieb?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that we're both gonna get out of this alive?" He put his arms on my shoulders, looking into my eyes, searching them.

"Honestly, I don't know," he said simply, before putting his lips to mine and the familiar sense of being in the middle of nowhere, yet everywhere all at once surrounded me, as it became just me and him, in a split second of passion that seemed to last a lifetime. I put my hands around his waist, before digging deeper into the kiss, wanting it to last longer than this instant. The buildings faded into stars, whilst at the same time became even bigger than they already were, looming over us, yet becoming insignificant. The sky twisted above us, yet seemed to stand still. And in that moment, I felt what true happiness could be, but also an overwhelming feeling of what it would be like to lose a man I knew that I truly loved.

**Liebgott's P.O.V**

The next evening, me and Toye were waiting in the pub for the girls to arrive. Winters and Nixon had wanted to talk to them, and as I lit a cigarette, Toye, bought 4 beers, one for each of us.

"You think they're coming?" he asked, making me smile.

"You ever know them two to turn down alcohol?" I asked, making him laugh.

"You got a point," he said, taking a sip of beer.

"So, what's the deal with you and Tash?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The same deal that exists between you and Talia, I'd imagine," he smiled, lighting a cigarette with one of his many lighters he'd stolen during unfair poker games. "I care about her, y'know?" he said. I nodded. _More than you'd believe. _"In a way I've never cared about a girl before." Our conversation was interrupted by the door swinging open and a sound of light laughter filtered in. The smoky haze in the air became distorted as the breeze from outside swirled in.

"Oh, come on. Nix, she would totally be trashy wife material!" T laughed, making me smile. She didn't realise how beautiful she was when she was carefree.

"Who says I wanted her as a wife?" he winked, earning a punch from Tash. "What was that for?" he laughed.

"You have a wife," she smiled.

"She's got a point, Nix," Winters smiled. T caught my eye, smiling, before saying a goodbye to the officers and dragging her sister over.

"Better late than never, I guess," Joe winked, as Tash went to sit on the stool next to him.

"Jeez, give a girl a break will you," she laughed. T came to sit next to me, squeezing my hand under the bar, and smiling.

"Good, we've already got drinks," she said, before draining half her beer almost as fast as Guarnere could.

"Jesus, you thirsty?" I laughed.

"Hey, a sergeant has a certain reputation to uphold, and drinking comes with that," she smiled.

* * *

After a couple of hours, men began filtering out of the pub. We were among the last 4 in there.

"I think it's time for me to head off," T said, the dim light accentuating the scars in her face, making the shadow appear deeper.

"I'll walk you home," I said, drinking the last of my beer, before getting up.

"Me and Joe are gonna stay a little longer. I'll meet you back at the house," Tash said.

"Sure. Wake me up when you get in," T said, her protective nature uncovering itself again. Her sister nodded.

"Toye," T nodded, smiling. "Don't let her drag you into trouble," she winked.

"Would I ever, Sgt. Zhukavitch?" he saluted, laughing. We walked outside, the fresh air a nice change from the musty room. It was dusky outside, the sun almost set behind the purple cloud line.

"Let's play would you rather," she said, skipping onto a nearby wall and turning to face me, a smile written all over her face.

"What?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I give you a choice of two things, and you tell me which one you'd rather and why," she said simply, before backflipping along the wall with the ease of a stalking cat. _That will never get any less impressive._

"Ok, you ask me first," I said, shrugging. She jumped off the wall, falling into step with me.

"Would you rather be a bear fighting a tiger, or a tiger fighting a bear?"

"What kind of question is that?" I laughed.

"Hey, just answer it!"she said, shoving me.

"Ok, jeez. Um, I guess a tiger fighting a bear because they're faster," I shrugged, smiling.

"Hmm, good point," she said, raising an eyebrow. As I was about to ask her a question, a voice yelled out from behind.

"Sgt., stop right there!" We spun to face the voice, belonging to no other than Sobel. He marched over to us, his hate filled eyes glaring harshly into her, making me want to do nothing more than break his jaw. "What do you think you're doing?" he questioned.

"Sir?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why are you walking with Liebgott at this time of night?" nothing but accusation written on his face.

"Liebgott was on his way back to his board, as was I, sir. And with all due respect, I would hardly call 9pm an ungodly hour," she practically spat.

"Then why did you feel the need to fraternise on the way back?"

"Because I feel it is my duty as a sergeant to have a good sense of the men to ensure that once they are in battle they do not let each other die," she replied without missing a beat.

"I think you mean you want them all to think they have a chance with you so they watch your back in a war zone, Zhukavitch," he spat back, venom in his voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two mean approaching, and recognised it to be Lipton and the one from Dog Company, Speirs.

"That is not at all what I was saying, Captain. In fact, I think it out of line for you to even suggest such a thing. And to have you know, I can perfectly hold my own on a battlefield. After all, am I not the only one who has ever killed another man before, sir," she replied, stepping a little closer, the poison in her voice enough to stop a man in his tracks.

"Pvt. Liebgott, return to your assigned house immediately," Sobel said, just as Speirs and Lipton got closer. Knowing I had no other alternative, I sighed.

"Yes, sir," I responded through gritted teeth, catching T giving me a quick glance of acknowledgement as I turned to leave.

**Talia's P.O.V**

I knew Lieb had no alternative but to go, so gave him a quick side glance to reassure him. Out of the corner of my eye, Lip and Speirs drew closer.

"Is there an issue here, Capt. Sobel?" Capt. Speirs asked, coming to stand between us.

"The issue here, Speirs, is that Zhukavitch has no interest in the safety of the men and would rather form a friendship with each one to get her way and have them protect her in battle," Sobel said, spit forming at the sides of his mouth.

"I can assure you now, Sobel, that that is not Sgt. Zhukavitch's motivation. She is one of the finest soldiers we have fielded over the past months," Speirs retaliated, and I could tell by the tone in his voice that his eyes were set in stone, unwavering.

"What do you think, Sgt. Lipton? Or has she already had her way with you, got her wrapped around her little finger?" Sobel spat. I started forward, a low growl in the back of my throat, my face an image of anger and hatred for a man who deserved nothing as good as Easy Company. The only thing stopping me from tearing out his throat here and now was the fact that Speirs body refused to let me pass him.

"I think, Capt. Sobel, with all due respect, your accusations are unfair and if you truly do have an issue, you should take it up with 1st Lt. Winters, seeing as he advises you as your second," Lip said, and I almost laughed at how even now, he never raised his voice and said any of his words with a harsh tone.

"Sgt. Lipton has a very valid point, Sobel. I suggest you take his advice, before anything more becomes of this out of hand situation," Speirs said lowly.

"Are you threatening me, Speirs?" Sobel said, his voice wavering slightly at the formidable figure in front of him.

"Threatening? No. I just believe that your unjust treatment of a soldier in your own company cannot go unpunished for much longer. Especially one as hard working and experienced as Zhukavitch."

"You will be hearing more of this, girl," Sobel sneered, before turning on his heel. Just before he stormed off, Speirs spoke once more.

"Oh, and Sobel. You should show good leadership skills by addressing her by her proper title of sergeant." With that, Sobel marched off, no doubt to find Winters.

"God, I hate that man more than you can ever imagine. Like honestly, how is he even allowed to be a ranking officer. He can't even fucking read a map properly!" I practically yelled, seething with anger.

"Natalia, I know how you feel, but you can't compromise your position over that man. He isn't worth it," Speirs said, placing a hand on my shoulder and looking into my eyes with his. _God, if anyone could match Joe's eye's, it's him. Though he obviously isn't quite as perfect._ "Right, I am off to find Winters before Sobel does so I can explain this whole fuck up properly. Sgt.'s," he nodded, as me and Lip saluted him.

"You ok, Dicca?" Lip asked as Speirs left.

"Yeah," I sighed. "He just makes me so angry, you know? Like, it drives me back to how I used to be. The men have helped me to calm down and not be so hot headed - but that man seriously makes me question every moral I uphold."

"Hey, I know it's easy to say, but don't let him get to you. Water off a duck's back, T. Besides, if he even tried to accuse you of anything to a higher power, then I promise you now, the men would stage a god damn mutiny and no one would be fighting this war," he smiled, his face an image of kindness and concern.

"Thanks, Lip. I mean it. I know I don't say it often, but I do mean it," I sighed, smiling almost sadly.

"I know, T, I know," he said as he pulled me into a hug. I smiled into his warm jacket, before the thoughts crept back. _You know, when they do find out, they'll discard you quicker than they'd discard Sobel. They'll want to forget you, and you'll hurt Tash as well. Again. Why did you ever think you could be comfortable here? Why did you think you'd ever again be able to have a normal life? Stupid little girl. _


	14. We'll All Change

Ranney came in, a look on his face that could stop a thunder storm.

"We lost Winter's to batallion mess," he fumed, turning to face us.

"You're shitting me," Tab said, raising his eyebrows.

"Fucking Sobel," I seethed, banging my fist down on the table. Lip looked over at me, giving me a look, and I held my hands up to let him know I was calm. Ranney shook his head in disbelief, his features written with anger.

"No, Strayer did it. While he's tryna figure out the procedures for his court martial."

"This is fucking bullshit. Ain't no way they're gonna get rid of Winters over Sobel. They can't," I fumed, getting up abruptly, causing the wooden chair I'd been seated on to fly backwards and clatter against the stone floor. "There is no way on earth I am following that fucking man out of a plane into battle," I almost shouted. _Ok, jesus, calm yourself down. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? _I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. The men were looking at me, with varied expressions, whilst Lip threw me a pack of cigarettes and raised an eyebrow. I lit one up, and sat down, picking my now mildly splintered chair back up. "So what do we do?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

* * *

"I don't care about the consequences," Martin stated, glancing up at Lip but not moving his head. I looked over at Martin, giving him a tight smile and a nod, letting him know I felt the same way. Lip looked over at him, his eyes concerned, yet passionate.

"John, we could be lined up against a wall and shot. Now, I'm ready to face that. And every one of us had better be too," he said, glancing around the table, resting his eyes on Guarnere.

"I will not follow that man into combat," Gono said defiantly.

"Me neither," said Bull. I looked up from the table at him sitting next to me, giving him a half smile.

"Alright, then let's do it," I said, looking at each of the men and arching an eyebrow.

"T, you know you don't have to do this. We'll understand if you don't want to do it," Lip said, almost pleadingly. "Out of everyone here, and I'm sure the men will agree, you have the most to lose. Sink already watches every move you make, and Sobel acts like he wants you dead. You could be gone tomorrow if you do this," he stressed.

"Yeah? Well, so could any of you," I replied, maybe slightly harsher than I meant to. "Look, I will stand with you, with all of you, for as long as there is breath in my fucking lungs and a pulse in this thing I call a heart. So if you don't like it, suck it up, buttercup, because I ain't going anywhere soon," I said, smiling sweetly at him. Lip finally cracked a small smile, and nodded at me. Bull clapped a hand on my shoulder, laughing lightly, despite the circumstances.

* * *

"I ought to have you all shot! There's nothing less than an act of mutiny while we prepare for the goddamm invasion of Europe!" Sink said, slightly more calmly than I expected him to. None of us looked him in the eye, rather just stared straight out the window behind him. "Sgt. Harris?"

"Sir."

"Turn in your stripes, collect your gear. You are hereby transferred out of my regiment," Sink said, glaring at him.

"Sir," Harris said, saluting.

"Get out." Harris left the room, which was quieter than a mortuary. I dared not even move my eyes to see how anyone else was reacting.

"Sgt Ranney, Sgt Zhukavitch," Sink said, and a breath caught in my throat, my heart speeding up. _Please don't take me away from my men, _I pleaded to him silently.

"Sir," we both replied, somewhat shakily.

"You two consider yourself lucky I'm only busting you to private," he said, and I released a breath that I wasn't aware I was still holding. I wasn't paying too much attention to what else he was saying, except for when he told us to get out. I followed the other men almost mechanically, and then started laughing to myself. Just before we walked out of the doorway of the building, Lip turned to me, a smile on his face.

"You are one lucky charm, Boudicca. I'm sorry about your rank, you earned it as much as anyone else. But you'll get it back, I promise you I'll help you get it back," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, Lip, I'm just glad I've still got my boys. The rank, I mean sure, it was nice to have, but it's nothing compared with getting to stay with you lot," I smiled. "Even if you do get on my last nerve sometimes," I smirked.

"Come on, you. We gotta bunch of men to inform about current events," Gono said to me, popping up behind Lip. I laughed as we left, and on the way out, we passed Winters. Giving him a salute and a wink, he smiled at me, somewhat confused as to why all of his sergeants were in the same place at the same time. It was a nice day - the sky was clear, it wasn't overly hot, nor cold, and a gentle breeze touched my hair as lightly as a spider spinning a web. I smiled to myself again, thinking about how close I could have been to losing my men. But then I really thought about it, and knew that once we got into battle, this feeling would be so much worse, because it wouldn't just be the possibility of me being taken away from the men, it would be the possibility of them dying, being gone forever. I shook the thoughts from my head as we approached the pub. It was our last couple of days in Aldbourne, and they'd decided to just let us chill out for the remainder. They knew that once we made that jump, we wouldn't have any time to ourselves. I could hear the rowdiness from outside the pub, and a few troopers who'd started too early were shuffling around outside as if they'd lost all motor control. I laughed when I recognised one of them to be Cobb.

"Good effort, Cobb. Ut evolution argumentum vos can vado in vicissim," I laughed.

"I know what your problem is. I've finally figured it out, you witch," he sneered drunkenly, failing to notice the dribble on his chin.

"Then please, do enlighten us," I drawled sarcastically.

"You're in love with me," he said, almost falling flat on his face if it weren't for the wall he was currently propped up against. The men barked with laughter.

"You know, Cobb, if I wanted to kill myself, I'd climb to the top of your ego and jump down to your IQ level," I said sweetly, before turning on my heel, leaving him to find the floor whilst the men opened the door for me amidst bounds of laughter.

"So what did the Latin mean?" asked Tab, putting an arm round my shoulder.

"That he is proof that evolution can go backwards," I laughed, whilst signalling to the bartender for enough beer for us all.

"Damn, Tab, no one ever tell you she's a taken woman?" a voice asked, and I turned round to see Lieb standing there with that all beautiful smirk upon his face.

"Hey, man, I ain't tryna cause trouble. I'll see you around mystery lady," Tab joked, kissing me on the cheek and dodging Lieb's slap, before running off. I laughed, grabbed my pint and went to sit outside with him. "You know, you shoulda told me what you were doing. You could have died for that," he said, looking into my eyes with concern. I sighed, taking a sip of beer.

"And if I'd have told you, you wouldn't have let me do it, Joe," I said softly. "Besides, I didn't die, I lost my rank."

"He took your rank away? That's bullshit, you earned that," he said, his eyes lighting up with anger. I put a hand over his.

"Hey, it doesn't matter. Ranney lost his too, and Harris got removed from regiment. I'll tell you what I told Lip - it was nice to have that rank, but being demoted doesn't take away any levels of respect or hard work. I'm still here, and that's what matters. Is that I'm still here, with the men, with you, Joe," I said, looking into his lush, brown eyes, half smiling.

"T, you could talk your way out of anything, couldn't you," he smirked, making me laugh.

"But I think the most pressing matter here is that I have some catching up to do," I said, before downing my pint. "Come on then, let's get that vodka flowing," I winked, grabbing his hand and pulling him up with me. We managed to wind through the crowds to the bar, where I ordered 6 shots of vodka.

"You got some friends round that I don't know about," a voice sounded to my left, and I looked up to see the handsome smile of Lt Speirs. I smiled back.

"Unfortunately, no, but you just became the third person in our drinking game," I laughed, wriggling my eyebrows, making him laugh.

"You know I shouldn't," he said.

"But you know you want to," I said, dangling one of the shots in front of him, knowing full well that none of the other enlisted men could get away with this way of talking to Speirs.

"Liebgott, are you in on this?" he asked Joe, raising an eyebrow.

"You bet, sir," he replied.

"Jesus, you are gonna be the death of me, girl," he said, knocking back his first shot.

* * *

Several hours and much more alcohol later, just a few remained at the bar. Lieb had taken Floyd back to his bunking, because he'd gotten beyond drunk, and turned in himself for an extra hour sleep. He winked at me as he left, making me smile and look at the floor like a school girl. Tash had finally shown up, and was now sitting opposite me for a very strange game of Never Have I Ever. It had taken a good half hour between all the laughter to explain the rules to 6 intoxicated troopers. Speirs had gone a while ago, having to take care of some Dog Company drama. And now it was just me, Tash, Roe, Muck, Bull, Gono, Toye and Perco.

"Ok, ok so I'll start," Tash said, getting the men to quieten down. "Never have I ever passed out from drinking too much," she said.

"Hey, that is so not fair," I said as I took another swig of whisky, as did the entirety of the table.

"What, like, never? You've never drank so much that you passed out?" Muck asked incredulously. I laughed at him.

"Never have I ever killed a man with my bare hands," Bull said, raising an eyebrow at me. I smirked at him, whilst taking yet another swig of whiskey.

"Ok, so now I feel like this game is out to get me," I laughed, before realising that the faces around me were most definitely spinning at an alarming rate. "I think it's time that I got my head down lads," I smiled, though simultaneously wanting to puke.

"You want me to come with you, sis?" Tash asked, beginning to stand. I waved her back.

"Don't be silly, girl. You need to uphold the Zhukavitch name in my absence," I said, swaying slightly as I stood up, and laughing at myself.

"Hey, Dicca, I'm walking you back, and there ain't nothing you can say to me that's gonna tell me otherwise," Roe said, humour written on his face, yet concern in his eyes. I nodded at him wavily.

"See you tomorrow boys, bright and early," I winked, as the men said their goodbyes. Roe put my arm around his shoulder and put his arm around my waist.

"Come on, cheri, let's get you home," he said, smiling to himself. As we left the pub, the night air was refreshing against my clammy skin, having been cooped up in a sticky, smoke ridden pub for the past few hours. I inhaled deeply, letting the freshness circulate through my body, feeling it almost exfoliate my lungs. We walked for a couple of minutes in silence, neither of us needing to say anything. I was starting to feel a little better, and had become less of a new born giraffe on my feet. But still, I didn't want to let go of Gene - he was warm, and he made me feel safe. His very aura made me calm.

"Hey, Gene? Can we sit down for a minute. I, erm, I need to ask you something," I said, stopping next to a small garden wall. I couldn't see properly in the dark, but it looked as though ivy trickled down over it's edge, almost alive and feeling it's way across the brick, like a green waterfall frozen in time.

"Of course," he said, sitting down next to me, though keeping his arm round my waist. I leaned into his shoulder, now becoming slightly chilly as a small breeze caught upon the otherwise silent night air. "What's up?" he asked, and I could hear the concern in his voice.

"I just keep thinking , you know? Can me and Joe ever have a normal relationship? If by some miracle we both survive this shit, are we gonna be the same with each other as we are now? Because I'm terrified of losing him, of any of you, but the way I feel for him, I have never felt like that for a guy before. It's...different. But nice. I feel whenever I'm with him, the parts of me I've lost along my journey in life become whole again. I feel like everything I've done, whether good or bad, doesn't matter anymore, because he's there. Everytime he looks into my eyes, I get lost, you know? It feels like everything around me becomes nothing, but at the same time intensifies. It's as if the people around me, they're making no noise, yet they're louder than ever. The birds stop singing, but at the same time they're performing the perfect chorus. And it's as if my heart stops, yet my blood rushes stronger than ever. What's gonna happen, Gene? After everything?" I finally asked, looking up at his face. He sighed, then looked out straight ahead.

"Talia, I'm not gonna say that you're both gonna survive this war for sure. You and I both know, and are much more less naive than some of the others, that none of our lives are a guarantee. Not now, not anymore. All of us could die, some of us could die, or none of us, but we'll all change. Because we'll see shit, and do shit that will change the way we think and act forever. But you and Joe? The way you two are with each other, I don't think that will change, Even if you change as people, you will still have that part of each other inside you both that reminds you of who you once were. And you won't wanna let that go." he said, kissing the top of my head. I smiled into his jacket.

"Thank you, Gene. I needed that."

* * *

The last couple of days in Aldbourne seemed to fly by, and now we found ourselves in Upottery Airfield. It was May 31st, and Easy Company were arriving in several trucks. It was overcast, and trying its hardest to rain. The ground was soggy and torn up from the sheer amount of vehicles coming and going throughout the days. The place was crawling with British Army soldiers, their laughter and shouts ringing out around the area. The truck came to a stand still, and the back swung down, as the new Lt, Buck Compton released the catch. He had piercingly blue eyes, and a smile that could charm even Sobel. He motioned to me and Tash.

"Ladies first," he said, flashing his white as fresh snow teeth.

"Off you get then, Luz," I said, raising an eyebrow at him and grinning.

"You're too kind, young man," he replied in a mock female voice, making me laugh. Each of the men were in much higher spirits than I'd imagine they would have been, considering the impending jump. But perhaps the mood had more to do with the fact that Sobel had been transferred out of Easy. Luz jumped down, then offered me his hand, which I took and followed suit.

"Lt," I nodded, smiling. He smiled back, before beginning to call out where each unit and squadron was to be positioned. As the rest of the guys jumped off the truck and began to unload gear, Luz, Tash, and I swung our packs onto our shoulders, rifles in hand, and began to head over to Easy Company's placement.

"Boudicca?" Luz asked, glancing at me innocently.

"Yeah..." I replied with caution, unsure of what was going to be the follow up.

"Can you teach me some Latin to offend Cobb without him knowing what I was saying?" he asked, making me laugh.

"Tash is a hell of a lot of a better teacher than I am, Georgie. I don't have the patience," I said, giving him a nudge.

"Anytime you want, Luz. I will be happy in assisting you to take down that boy," Tash laughed, putting her arm around Luz's shoulder. As we made our way to the tents, we saw Hoob talking to a British soldier dressed in a German uniform.

"Yeah, yeah. It's for you lads, so you can get your mince pies on some Jerry clobber, if you know what I mean," the soldier replied to something Hoob had asked.

"No, not really," he said, the confused look on his features amusing me somewhat.

"He said it's for the Americans to get their eyes on some German clothes, Hoob," I laughed. He turned around to face me, smiling.

"Hey, just in time to translate, T," he said.

"Blimey, where'd they find two English birds in the American Army?" the British soldier asked, making me smile.

"We're reapings," I explained, and he nodded like he understood only slightly.

"Hey, you got a Luger? I'm dying to get my hands on a real Luger," Hoob interjected, his excitement so childlike it made me genuinely happy.

"Yeah, go on then. Quick butchers, yeah?" the soldier said, getting it out of it's holster and setting it up for Hoob. I gave the British soldier a nod and smile before heading off to find my boys, accompanied by Tash and Luz.

* * *

Before long, we found Lieb and Toye smoking together by the entrance of a marquee.

"And on that note, I will catch you ladies later," Luz winked, before heading off to join Bull, Muck and Penkala.

"Later, Georgie," I smiled. We walked over to the two Joe's, and Lieb passed me a cigarette, lighting it for me. "Thank you," I said, smiling up at him, his thick, brown eyes as beautiful as ever.

"Anything for a beautiful lady," he smirked.

"Lemme know when you find one," I replied, laughing, earning a nudge. Tash and Toye were caught up in conversation, so me and Lieb began to walk. "How you feeling about the jump?" I asked him, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. He shrugged, his eyes not betraying the words he spoke.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared. It's the thought of having to jump into the unknown I think. But at the same time, I'm excited for everything I've been training for to finally happen," he replied earnestly. "What about you?" he asked, glancing over at me. I inhaled another drag from my cigarette, mulling over my response.

"I've done this more than once. I'm not scared of the jump itself, not even what we're going into. I'm too de-sensitised to really care enough about what I throw myself into. But normally, its just me and Tash. I can keep my eye on her, guard her back. But now, now I have all of you guys to worry about," I sighed, smiling sadly at him. He looked like he was about to speak, but I wasn't finished. "The things you men have taught me, how you're helped me and Tash overcome so many deep rooted issues, how you've become our family - it terrifies me that I can lose that at any point from here on out. It terrifies me that I could lose you," I said, coming to a stand still. We'd been walking slowly, but now a few of the other Easy lads had congregated a few feet away. I stopped far enough away that they couldn't hear our conversation.

"I won't pretend to know what it's like to loose a family, T. I won't pretend I know how scared you are to re-live the events of your past. But I don't have to fake the sincerity when I say that I am petrified of losing you too. As a whole, me and you, we aren't overly emotional. But I need you to know that losing you would break me. I don't plan on going anywhere. I'm here for the long run," he said, with such integrity I just wanted to kiss him right there and then.

"Joseph Liebgott, just when I think I've made a valiant speech, you go and one up me," I laughed. He smiled at me, his eyes brightening. "Come on. Let's not keep this lot waiting," I said as we started over to the guys.

"There she is. M'lady," Muck said, bowing dramatically.

"Between you and Luz, I'm starting to think you enjoy taking the mickey out of me," I laughed, making Muck smile.

"Did I hear a queen call upon her lowly manservant," a voice piped up behind me. I turned around to see Luz smiling that 'oh so innocent' smile. I tried to give him an unimpressed look, but couldn't help the smile creeping onto my face.

"Damn you, Luz," I laughed.


End file.
